Meta Strengthens Superintelligence Labs with Key Hires
Meta Platforms has bolstered its artificial intelligence capabilities by hiring two prominent researchers from Apple, Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, for its Superintelligence Labs team. These moves continue the company's aggressive talent acquisition strategy in the highly competitive AI sector[1][2][4].
Significant Talent Migration from Apple to Meta
Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, both integral to Apple's AI efforts, are joining Meta after a period of rapid team changes at the iPhone maker. Lee has already started in his new position, while Gunter is expected to begin shortly.
- Mark Lee and Tom Gunter come from Apple’s foundation models division
- Lee has commenced work at Meta, with Gunter soon to follow[1]
- Both join their former boss Ruoming Pang, previously Apple’s head of large language models, who recently moved to Meta under a contract reportedly exceeding $200 million[1][3]
Big Compensation Signals Fierce Competition
Tom Gunter, considered one of Apple’s most senior AI engineers, is reported to be receiving a multiyear compensation package topping $100 million[1]. These lucrative contracts underscore the escalating war for AI talent among tech giants as Meta pledges investments in the “hundreds of billions” towards artificial intelligence development[1].
Industry Impact and Internal Uncertainty at Apple
The recent defections spotlight growing uncertainty within Apple's Foundation Models team, as Apple deliberates integrating third-party AI technology, such as
OpenAI's ChatGPT or Anthropic models into its
Siri digital assistant[1]. Meta’s strategy, on the other hand, appears focused on building in-house expertise to target breakthroughs in superintelligence.
These moves are widely seen as a significant shakeup in the AI landscape, signaling both Meta's ambition to lead in cutting-edge research and Apple’s evolving approach to AI integration[3][4].
