Meta Poaches Senior Apple AI Executive Frank Chu to Boost Superintelligence Lab

TLDRs

• Meta has hired Frank Chu, a senior Apple AI executive, to lead its new AI infrastructure team at MSL.
• Chu previously managed Apple’s large language models, Siri search functions, and cloud training systems before moving to Meta.
• Since July, at least six Apple AI engineers have joined Meta, reflecting intensifying competition for elite AI talent.
• Despite pausing general hiring, Meta continues to selectively recruit senior AI leaders for critical positions.

Meta has recruited Frank Chu, a senior Apple executive, in a strategic move to strengthen its artificial intelligence division, Superintelligence Labs (MSL).

Chu, who previously led Apple’s AI teams specializing in cloud infrastructure, training, and search, will now spearhead Meta’s newly formed MSL Infra team.

The group is tasked with developing and managing AI infrastructure, a critical foundation for the company’s broader ambitions in advanced machine learning and large-scale model deployment.

Chu is the latest in a string of high-profile defections from Apple to Meta, underscoring the intensifying competition for AI talent among the world’s largest tech companies. His experience with large language models, including overseeing their training on Apple’s cloud servers and refining Siri’s search and entertainment functions, makes him a key addition to Meta’s next phase of AI development.

Meta Targets Apple’s AI Expertise

Since July, at least six senior Apple employees working on artificial intelligence models have made the jump to Meta. Among them is Ruoming Pang, a leading AI researcher who was central to Apple’s AI models team.

Pang reportedly received a compensation package worth around $200 million, illustrating the enormous value attached to elite AI talent.

Frank Chu’s arrival continues this trend. At Apple, his responsibilities included ensuring the reliability of cloud systems that power large language models and overseeing the integration of these technologies into Apple services. Now at Meta, he is expected to help scale infrastructure for increasingly sophisticated AI models, a step that could determine how effectively Meta can compete with rivals like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic.

Balancing Talent Wars and Hiring Pauses

Despite high-profile hirings like Chu’s, Meta recently announced an internal hiring pause across many MSL teams. In a memo circulated to managers, the company explained that it is reassessing headcount growth and focusing only on “business critical roles.”

This approach signals that Meta sees talent acquisition not merely as a numbers game but as a precision effort, identifying the individuals who can make the most immediate impact. Industry observers say this strategy mirrors broader trends in AI, where securing top researchers and engineers has become as critical as the algorithms and hardware that power the technology itself.

AI Talent War Shapes Industry Future

Meta’s aggressive recruitment of Apple executives underscores the central role of AI in shaping the next era of technology. Companies are increasingly viewing senior AI leaders as irreplaceable assets, capable of guiding both technical development and organizational strategy.

With AI infrastructure forming the backbone of everything from generative models to immersive platforms like the metaverse, leaders like Chu could determine how well Meta delivers on its long-term vision.

The scale of compensation packages highlights just how fierce the talent war has become. Meta alone is investing an estimated $30 billion in AI infrastructure and talent, undescoring its determination to secure an advantage in what many view as the defining technological race of the decade.

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