Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has made a bold move by poaching one of Apple’s top artificial intelligence researchers, Ruoming Pang. Pang, who was responsible for leading Apple’s AI models team, has reportedly been offered a compensation package worth “tens of millions of dollars” per year to join Meta’s new “Superintelligence Lab.”
This strategic hiring is just one of many high-profile acquisitions made by Meta in recent weeks as they continue to build a powerhouse team of AI experts. In addition to Pang, Meta has also brought on researchers Yuanzhi Li from OpenAI and Anton Bakhtin from Anthropic, among others.
The company’s aggressive hiring spree has reportedly cost them over $1 billion, with some researchers being offered compensation packages of $100 million or more. Most of the new hires have come from OpenAI, with others coming from Google DeepMind and Anthropic.
The newly formed Meta Superintelligence Labs, headed by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, will be the home for these new hires. Meta’s investment of nearly $15 billion for a 49% stake in the startup has paved the way for Wang to lead this innovative team.
Other key hires include former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, ex-Safe Superintelligence CEO Daniel Gross, and former OpenAI researcher Trapit Bansal. These new additions to the team will play a crucial role in developing Meta’s AI capabilities.
Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has expressed his excitement about the progress in AI and the development of superintelligence. This focus on AI has helped push Meta’s stock to an all-time high, signaling confidence in the company’s future direction.
While Meta’s hiring tactics have raised some eyebrows, with OpenAI’s Sam Altman expressing frustration at the exorbitant offers made to his employees, Meta has denied reports of offering up to $300 million to some AI talent. Despite the controversy, Meta remains committed to building a world-class team of AI experts.
For Apple, the loss of Pang is a significant setback as the company continues to work on integrating new AI features into its products. With Pang overseeing a team of approximately 100 employees, his departure highlights the challenges Apple faces in advancing its AI capabilities.
Overall, Meta’s aggressive hiring strategy and focus on AI development signal the company’s commitment to staying at the forefront of technological innovation. As the competition for top AI talent heats up, Meta’s investments in talent and technology position them as a key player in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
