Big Tech companies are in a fierce battle with each other to hire the best talent in the AI industry. Now, a new news has emerged from the industry in this regard. Ke Yang, who was recently appointed to lead Apple’s advanced AI search team, has resigned after just few weeks of joining the role at Apple to join rival tech giant Meta.
This sudden resignation shows the growing competition between major tech companies for top AI talent, as both firms Meta and Apple race to shape the future of artificial intelligence.
Ke Leading Apple’s AI Search Vision?
Ke Yang was appointed head of Apple’s Answers, Knowledge and Information (AKI) team. This is a group who is responsible for building the future of AI-powered search within Siri. This team is pivotal to Apple’s ambition of evolving Siri into a more capable, conversational assistant, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini.
Ke Yang’s appointment followed the departure of Robby Walker, who was the team’s previous leader. Ke Yang’s role was seen as crucial to driving the next-generation AI features expected to launch with Apple’s upcoming “Apple Intelligence” platform in 2024. However, internal changes and ongoing challenges appear to have led to his unexpected departure.
Meta Poaches More talent?
Ke Yang’s exit is the latest on the list of high-profile resignations from Apple to Meta. Earlier this year, Ruoming Pang, a key figure behind Apple’s foundation models, also left to join Meta’s ambitious Superintelligence division.
The team that is reportedly spearheading Meta’s next major leap in generative AI, has now added another valuable asset in Ke Yang. Apple also recently lost Frank Chu, another key leader in AI infrastructure, further increasing the debate that why Apple is struggling to retain top AI minds.
Talent Wars
Meta’s aggressive AI hiring strategy comes at a time when the company is investing heavily in building large language models and generative AI tools across its platforms. Meanwhile, Apple is, traditionally secretive about its AI programmes and is working to accelerate development after years of running behind other rivals.
Ke Yang’s exit has left a big hole in Apple’s efforts to upgrade Siri and integrate more intelligent, real-time search features into its devices.
While Apple remains committed to its AI roadmap, the loss of key talent may slow its momentum in a fast-moving and highly competitive space.
