Meta Platforms Recruits Former Apple AI Researchers Amid Ongoing Competition in the Tech Industry

Meta Platforms has hired two prominent AI researchers, Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, who recently departed from Apple. They will join Meta's Superintelligence Labs team, underscoring the company's commitment to strengthening its AI capabilities. Apple reported Q1 revenue of $95.4 billion, up 5% YoY, with services revenue reaching an all-time high of $26.6 billion, growing 12% compared to the prior year.

Meta Platforms (META.O) has recently bolstered its AI capabilities by hiring two prominent researchers, Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, who left Apple (AAPL.O) [1]. This move underscores Meta's commitment to strengthening its AI division, Superintelligence Labs, which is led by Alexandr Wang, formerly of Scale AI [2].

The hire of Lee and Gunter is part of Meta's aggressive recruitment campaign aimed at building the most elite AI research team in the industry. Meta has been investing heavily in its AI infrastructure, planning to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to build multi-gigawatt data center clusters like Prometheus and Hyperion [3].

The acquisition of Scale AI for $14.3 billion and the formation of Superintelligence Labs reflect Meta's renewed focus on superintelligence, following internal AI setbacks such as the underwhelming release of Llama 4 [3]. The company has also offered competitive packages to attract top talent, including those from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic [2].

Meta's ambitious AI strategy is supported by its robust advertising business, which generated $100 billion in revenue last year [3]. This investment in AI infrastructure and talent is expected to generate returns through various products, including the Meta AI assistant, ad tools, and AI-powered smart glasses [3].

Meanwhile, Apple reported Q1 2025 revenue of $95.4 billion, up 5% year-over-year, with services revenue reaching an all-time high of $26.6 billion, growing 12% compared to the prior year [4]. Apple's strong performance in services underscores the competitive landscape in the tech industry, where companies are increasingly focusing on AI and related technologies to drive growth.

References:
[1] https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/meta-hires-two-apple-ai-researchers-after-poaching-their-boss-bloomberg-reports-2025-07-18/
[2] https://datacentremagazine.com/news/mark-zuckerberg-reveals-100bn-meta-ai-supercluster-push
[3] https://www.fortuneindia.com/technology/metas-massive-ai-bet-zuckerberg-unveils-superclusters-to-build-artificial-superintelligence-key-takeaways-here/124876
[4] https://thedesk.net/2025/07/netflix-q2-2025-earnings-report/