Selyst (@selyst2023.bsky.social)

Apple's Real AI Crisis Isn't Siri, But the Talent It's Losing to Rivals Apple has experienced a significant exodus of AI talent, losing roughly a dozen key staff members to competitors like Meta, OpenAI, and xAI. This talent drain is considered a major blow, as Apple's core AI team is quite small, numbering only fifty to sixty individuals. Recent high-profile departures include Ruoming Pang, who led Apple's Foundational Models team and joined Meta for a substantial compensation package. Several departing employees had contributed to significant AI research papers released by Apple last year. Recruiters view these departures as a symptom of a "crisis of confidence" regarding Apple's trajectory in artificial intelligence. Elite AI talent is now seen as a crucial strategic asset by tech companies, comparable to intellectual property. The exodus occurs as Apple faces challenges in updating Siri with large language models, a key feature promised for the next year. Apple is reportedly developing a completely new AI architecture for Siri in Zurich, based on a "monolithic model" LLM engine. This new system aims to replace Siri's current fragmented hybrid architecture, making it more conversational and adept at information synthesis. CEO Tim Cook has confirmed progress on a more personalized Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, anticipating its release next year with enhanced context awareness and per-app controls. https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/07/apples-ai-problem-not-just-siri-talent-leaving/