Meta Poaches Apple's Lead AI Researcher for Robotics Amid Brain Drain Concerns

Apple has lost four more AI engineers to Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic, including Jian Zhang, the company's Lead AI Researcher for Robotics, who will join Meta's Robotics Studio. The departures coincide with Apple's reported loss of three Foundation Models engineers, and follow a report that Apple is discussing relying on outside technology and exploring partnerships with other AI companies to develop the models needed for its revamped Siri.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) continues to face a significant exodus of artificial intelligence (AI) talent, with four more key engineers leaving the company to join competitors such as Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), OpenAI, and Anthropic PBC. The latest departures include Jian Zhang, Apple's Lead AI Researcher for Robotics, who is heading to Meta's Robotics Studio [3].

This latest wave of departures follows a report that Apple is considering relying on outside technology and exploring partnerships with other AI companies to develop the models needed for its revamped Siri. Apple has previously been slower to execute on its AI strategy, with delays in Siri upgrades and the loss of several AI experts to competitors [1].

The departures coincide with Apple's reported loss of three Foundation Models engineers, further highlighting the challenges the company faces in its AI initiatives. The company is now discussing internally whether to rely more on external technology, rather than just homegrown models, to accelerate its AI development [3].

Apple shares briefly dipped to a session low on Tuesday after the news of the departures was reported. The stock was down 1.5% to $228.77 as of 3:08 p.m. in New York [3].

Despite the ongoing challenges, Apple remains one of the world's largest companies by market value, with a market cap of over $3.4 trillion. The company's strong fundamentals in its iPhone and Services segments continue to support investor interest, but the delayed AI execution and slowing unit growth pose potential risks to long-term growth [1].

References:
[1] https://www.tradingnews.com/news/apple-stock-forecast-nasdq-aapl-at-232-usd
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-aapl-explores-google-gemini-043308141.html
[3] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-02/apple-s-lead-ai-researcher-for-robotics-heads-to-meta-as-part-of-latest-exits