Jian Zhang, the former head of Apple's robotics research division for AI, has defected to Meta Platforms. Simultaneously, three key researchers from Apple's internal large language model team – John Peebles, Nan Du, and Zhao Men – have also departed. Over the past few weeks, an additional 10 members of Apple's foundational model team, including its leader, have left the company. This team represents the backbone of Apple's efforts to develop intelligent platforms, and this significant brain drain poses a formidable challenge to the company's ambitions to keep pace with the AI revolution.