The hires come weeks after Meta brought on board Apple’s top AI executive, signaling intensifying competition in advanced AI development
In a fresh talent acquisition move, Meta has hired two more senior researchers from Apple’s AI division, further strengthening its pursuit of building "superintelligence" — a term increasingly used to describe advanced general-purpose AI systems. The move follows Meta’s recent high-profile hiring of John Giannandrea, Apple’s former Senior Vice President of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, who had previously also worked at Google.
The two researchers—Ruslan Salakhutdinov and Arun Nair—are reported to have joined Meta’s AI team earlier this month, according to multiple reports including Bloomberg, Reuters, and India Today Tech. While the company has not issued a formal press statement, internal sources and recruitment activity indicate that Meta is aggressively consolidating top AI talent from rival tech firms to build out its AI research infrastructure.
Industry Experts Join Meta’s Superintelligence Initiative
Ruslan Salakhutdinov, a leading figure in deep learning and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, is well known for his groundbreaking research in generative models, reinforcement learning, and probabilistic AI. He was formerly Director of AI Research at Apple and held research leadership roles at OpenAI and Microsoft.
Arun Nair, who also held senior roles within Apple’s AI ecosystem, is experienced in building large-scale machine learning systems and model deployment infrastructure.
Both researchers are expected to contribute to Meta’s long-term vision of building general-purpose AI agents that are not only powerful but also aligned with ethical and safety frameworks—an area that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described as central to the company's next decade of innovation.
Meta's Growing AI War Chest
The hires come at a time when Meta is deepening its investments in foundation models and agentic AI, areas where it is competing directly with companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. Meta has already released several versions of its open-source LLaMA (Large Language Model Meta AI) series, with the latest, LLaMA 3, launched in 2024.
The company’s goal, according to internal presentations, is to develop autonomous AI agents that can operate across Meta platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, and the metaverse. Hiring top-tier researchers signals a strategic push toward building the foundational AI talent pool required for such a vision.
Meta’s Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun, who continues to steer much of the company’s fundamental AI research, has frequently emphasized open science and transparency in AI development. The addition of Salakhutdinov and Nair, both of whom are respected voices in the academic AI community, appears to align with that philosophy.
Talent Wars Escalate Across Big Tech
Meta's recent hires also underline a broader trend of aggressive AI talent acquisition across Big Tech. Earlier in 2024, OpenAI reportedly offered multimillion-dollar compensation packages to lure talent from Google and Amazon. Apple, which has traditionally maintained a more closed-door approach to AI research, has been more cautious in publicizing its AI strategy but has steadily built internal capabilities in generative AI and on-device models.
However, the departure of multiple key personnel—including Giannandrea, Salakhutdinov, and now Nair—could pose a setback for Apple’s AI ambitions, especially as it prepares to roll out Apple Intelligence, its suite of generative AI features announced at WWDC 2025.
Implications for the AI Ecosystem
Meta’s expanding AI team reflects not only a race to technological leadership but also a shift in how tech giants are organizing around long-term AI strategy. Rather than just building products, companies like Meta are creating specialized research divisions tasked with shaping the future architecture of artificial intelligence.
By recruiting elite AI minds from across the industry, Meta is betting on in-house expertise to lead the next phase of AI development—one where superintelligent agents could eventually power everything from search and discovery to virtual assistants and digital experiences.