Apple Loses More AI Researchers and a Siri Executive in Latest Departures
(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. lost a top Siri executive as well as at least four other AI researchers in recent weeks; staff Meta Platforms Inc. and turned to employers like Google DeepMind.
Recent releases include Yinfei Yang, Haoxuan You, Bailin Wang and Zirui Wang. While Yang left to start a new company, You and Bailin Wang also joined Meta, according to people familiar with the matter. You went to the company’s Super Intelligence research arm and said Bailin Wang was working on Meta recommendations, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous because the moves have not been disclosed.
The departures underscore the ongoing turbulence within Apple’s artificial intelligence division. The company has struggled to keep up with rivals in the artificial intelligence race, and its decision to outsource some technology to Alphabet Inc.’s Google angered staff. In recent months, the company has experienced a loss of talent, especially in the AI ranks.
In Zirui Wang’s case, the researcher joins Google DeepMind, which helps Apple build the underlying AI models that will power new features. This includes the technology that underpins the upgraded version of the Siri voice assistant that will be released this year.
In another previously unreported development, Apple executive Stuart Bowers also moved to Google DeepMind. He was one of the company’s top executives working on Siri.
Bowers was a senior leader on Apple’s failed autonomous car project before becoming one of the executives responsible for turning around the company’s voice assistant. He took on an expanded role last year working on Siri’s ability to figure out how to respond to a user. In this role, he reported to new Siri chief Mike Rockwell.
Spokespeople for Apple, Google and Meta declined to comment.
Apple’s AI challenges have contributed to its stock decline this year, even as the company’s sales hit new highs. On Thursday, it reported blockbuster earnings, including more than $85 billion in iPhone sales. Still, the lack of compelling AI breakthroughs and the continued influx of top talent remain a major challenge, complicating the company’s efforts to engineer a turnaround.
These departures follow a major reorganization of Apple’s AI efforts last year. Chief Executive Tim Cook ousted longtime AI chief John Giannandrea and handed over responsibility to software chief Craig Federighi. Apple also hired a former Google and Microsoft Corp. to oversee parts of the organization. He hired Amar Subramanya, an AI executive.
The recent departures came from Apple’s Foundation Models, or AFM, team, which developed the technology behind the Apple Intelligence platform. The group has faced increasing scrutiny following repeated delays to the new Siri and a muted reception to Apple’s existing AI features. Over the summer, the team lost former leader Ruoming Pang to Meta. It is now led by artificial intelligence researcher Zhifeng Chen.
Until the end of last year, the AFM team was overseen by former Google executive Daphne Luong. He was dismissed alongside Giannandrea and continues to report to him at Apple without operational responsibilities. Chen and Apple’s AI research and testing teams now report to Subramanya.
The company is preparing two new versions of Siri. One of these is a short-term update that will leverage personal data to answer queries. The other is a more ambitious revision for later this year, built around a chatbot-style interface.
Both versions will run on a new architecture supported by models developed by the Google team. Apple has lost more than a dozen AI researchers in the last six months; many exits resulted from the company’s decision to outsource some of its technology.
Asked Thursday why Apple chose to use Google, Cook said it would provide the “most capable foundation” for Apple’s AI models.
“We believe that through collaboration we can unlock a lot of experience and innovate in a significant way,” he said during a post-earnings conference call with analysts.
The company continues to rely on its own models for Apple Intelligence features on the device. It’s also unlikely that it will rely on external partners indefinitely, given the competitive conditions of the AI race and the need to deliver a unique experience.
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