Meta Poaches Six Apple AI Researchers in Weeks as Frank Chu Emerges as Zuckerberg's Latest Star Hire

Meta is doubling down on its artificial intelligence ambitions, and Apple continues to bear the brunt. In a whirlwind hiring spree, Meta has now hired six senior AI researchers from Apple in just seven weeks, with cloud-AI infrastructure expert Frank Chu being the latest departure.

Newest recruit

Chu, who led Apple's AI teams focused on cloud infrastructure, training and search, is the newest recruit in Meta's escalating AI talent war. He has joined the Superintelligence Labs, specifically the MSL Infra team that builds the crucial infrastructure for Meta's AI engines.

Meta's head of recruitment must see AI as untouchable as despite a company-wide hiring freeze, Chu's hire demonstrates the exception made for elite AI talent. 'It's like everything else paused, but not when it comes to AI', said one insider.

A Run of High-Profile Hires

Chu is the sixth Apple AI executive to join Meta in recent weeks. The others are:

• Ruoming Pang, former head of Apple's Foundation Models team.
• Mark Lee, Pang's first hire at Apple and a key AI researcher.
• Tom Gunter, a distinguished engineer and team veteran at Apple.
• Bowen Zhang, an AI specialist from Apple's research ranks.
• Yun Zhu, another senior Apple AI researcher now at Meta.

Meta has aggressively recruited these executives into its Superintelligence Labs, signalling that Apple's foundational models brain trust is now largely scattered.

Apple's AI Worries Mount

Apple's AI unit is reeling, losing more than a dozen researchers to Meta and other competitors. The departures are roiling the company's ability to deliver on AI-powered ambitions, particularly upgrades to Siri. A chatbot-style Siri showcased at WWDC remains unreleased, and whispers of third-party integration growing louder.

CEO Tim Cook called an all-hands meeting after the exodus and promised to 'make the investment' needed to strengthen Apple's AI efforts. But with six top names now gone, catching up will be an uphill battle.

Meta's Strategic Reshuffles

Meta is not just collecting talent — it's also reorganising. Its AI division has been reshaped four times in six months, split into superintelligence, consumer products, infrastructure and long-term research. This mammoth reworking echoes the scale of investment: Meta has reportedly offered some recruits compensation packages exceeding $100 million, and for Pang alone, more than $200 million.

Amid all this, a sudden hiring freeze was announced just days ago, but the AI talent pipeline remains wide open.

A New Era of Tech Talent Warfare

Meta's AI poaching spree is emblematic of the fierce competition driving Silicon Valley. As other firms like Google, OpenAI and Anthropic also raid AI talent pools, the scramble has intensified. Meta's strategy appears clear — stockpile the best thinkers before the competition does.

Meta insiders describe a cultural shift: 'You have AI superstars arriving with rare skills. That warps the old balance, and even veteran engineers feel the pressure'.

Meanwhile, Apple has tried counter-measures, raising salaries for key AI engineers. But these gestures, while timely, seem small compared to Meta's staggering offers and rapid IP-driven expansion.

Meta's broader goal — building artificial superintelligence — now includes teams assembled by Zuckerberg's personal hand, partly at Apple's expense.

What Lies Ahead

Frank Chu's move likely cements Meta's lead in the AI race, at least for now. The question remains whether Apple can rebuild and recover via internal restructuring, third-party partnerships, or renewed investment.

One thing is certain: Meta has staked its future on AI, and with six top Apple departures under its belt, it is reshaping the industry's power dynamic — one poach at a time.