Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-07-30 08:10Core Insights - Apple is facing an unprecedented talent exodus in the AI sector, with four key researchers from its foundational model team leaving for Meta Platforms within a month [1][4] - The departures include prominent figures such as Bowen Zhang and Ruoming Pang, with Pang receiving a record-breaking compensation package exceeding $200 million from Meta [4] Group 1: Talent Loss - Bowen Zhang, a leading figure in Apple's AI team, was instrumental in developing a 30 billion parameter edge model that supports Apple Intelligence, but it still relies on cloud computing for complex tasks [4] - Ruoming Pang, the former head of the AFM team, was responsible for the strategic direction of Apple's AI research, and his departure is seen as a significant blow to Apple's AI development framework [4] - Tom Gunter and Mark Lee, both experienced in multimodal algorithm optimization, also left, contributing to Apple's challenges in keeping pace with competitors like Google and Meta [4] Group 2: Strategic Challenges - Apple's AI strategy is hindered by management disagreements regarding the return on investment in AI, with software chief Craig Federighi questioning the value of AI investments [5] - As a result, AI-related projects account for less than 15% of Apple's R&D budget for 2024, while Meta is allocating over 60% of its budget to AI initiatives [5] - Despite offering slight salary increases, Apple's compensation remains significantly lower than that of competitors, contributing to the accelerated talent outflow [5]