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Apple’s Top AI Engineer Leaves for Meta with Jaw-Dropping Pay

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Apple’s Top AI Engineer Leaves for Meta

Key Highlights:

  • Apple’s top AI leader, Ruoming Pang, is leaving for Meta with a multi-million dollar salary offer.
  • Pang led a large team working on AI models powering Siri and other Apple features.
  • Several other Apple AI engineers are expected to follow him to Meta or other companies.
  • Meta is investing heavily in AI and aggressively hiring top talent to compete with rivals.

Apple has lost one of its top artificial intelligence (AI) executives, Ruoming Pang, who led the company’s important AI models team. He is now joining Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Ruoming Pang was a key engineer managing Apple’s foundation models, which help power many AI features in Apple devices, such as Siri and Apple Intelligence. He joined Apple in 2021 from Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Now, Meta has offered him a very attractive salary package worth tens of millions of dollars per year, which led to his decision to leave Apple.

This move highlights the fierce competition among big tech companies like Apple, Meta, Google, and OpenAI to hire the best AI talent. Meta has been aggressively recruiting AI experts recently, including people from OpenAI and other startups, to build advanced AI systems they call “superintelligence.”

At Apple, Ruoming Pang was in charge of a team of about 100 people working on large language models — the technology behind many AI-powered apps. Recently, Apple announced it would open these models for third-party app developers to create new AI-based iPhone and iPad apps.

However, Apple’s AI team has been facing challenges and internal changes. Some engineers are reportedly planning to leave, and the company is considering using AI technology from outside companies like OpenAI or Anthropic to improve Siri, its voice assistant.

Apple’s AI efforts have also seen leadership changes, with some teams moving away from Ruoming Pang’s group. Now, Zhifeng Chen will lead the foundation models team, with a new structure of managers to help run the work.

Apple is still investing heavily in AI, with top executives like Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell focusing on new AI features. But losing a top leader like Pang shows how competitive and difficult it is for Apple to keep pace in the fast-moving AI field.

Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is spending billions on AI and making it a top priority. Zuckerberg has personally been involved in recruiting top AI engineers to build the future of AI at Meta.

In summary, Apple’s loss of Ruoming Pang to Meta is a major sign of the ongoing “war for AI talent” among tech giants. It remains to be seen how Apple will respond and strengthen its AI efforts going forward.





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DataBahn.ai Announces New Chief Security and Strategy Officer and Two New Sales Leaders » Dallas Innovates

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DataBahn.ai has appointed Preston Wood as chief security and strategy officer of the Dallas-based provider of a security-native data pipeline platform built for modern enterprise workloads.

Wood brings 25 years of leadership experience in cybersecurity to his new role. He will help drive DataBahn’s mission to transform security data management and enable intelligent automation across global enterprises, the company said.

“I’ve always believed that security and IT teams need the right data, at the right time—enriched with context and real-time analytics—to make smarter, faster decisions,” Wood said in a statement. “DataBahn’s platform is uniquely positioned to solve persistent challenges in data discovery, ingestion, and real-time visibility. I’m excited to join a team so deeply focused on customer success and innovation, and I look forward to helping advance DataBahn’s mission to deliver secure, intelligent, and highly scalable data solutions.”

Wood has served as a three-time chief information security officer and two-time chief technology officer at major financial institutions, including Zions Bancorporation, Bank of the West, and City National Bank. The company said that Wood is known for aligning security and technology strategies with business goals, and he has led the development of robust security frameworks, real-time threat detection programs, and advanced analytics initiatives.

At DataBahn.ai, Wood will partner with engineering and product teams to expand the platform’s strategic vision and deepen customer relationships, the company said.

Wood will lead the development of next-generation solutions, such as intelligent, AI-powered Data Broker workflows, that bring automation, context, and precision to enterprise-scale data orchestration, the company said. DataBahn said that Wood will draw on his dual experience as CISO and CTO in serving a dual role: evangelizing DataBahn’s innovation to enterprise customers while channeling next-generation customer requirements back into the product roadmap.

Sales leadership additions

In addition to Wood, DataBahn.ai said it strengthened its go-to-market capabilities with two key sales leadership appointments.

Payman Faed joins as SVP of sales, West, bringing over 15 years of enterprise cybersecurity sales and leadership experience. He has held senior roles at leading MDR and SIEM providers, including Lumifi and Castra. Faed is recognized for building high-performing teams and scaling partner-first go-to-market strategies, the company said.

At DataBahn, Faed will oversee strategic accounts across the Western U.S., accelerate national expansion, and lead a team of account executives focused on customer value and revenue growth.

Trevor Crompton has been appointed vice president of sales, EMEA. Crompton has more than 30 years in the IT industry—nearly half spent building and leading startup organizations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa—and he brings deep expertise in helping security professionals gain visibility into complex data environments.

At DataBahn.ai, Crompton will lead the company’s expansion in EMEA, helping customers address growing data complexity while reducing storage costs and simplifying operations.

“With the addition of Preston, Payman, and Trevor, we’re assembling a powerhouse leadership team that combines technical excellence, deep customer empathy, and proven go-to-market execution,” Nanda Santhana, co-founder and CEO of DataBahn.ai, said in a statement. “Their collective experience across security, data management, and global GTM strategy positions us to accelerate our growth and deliver even greater value to enterprises worldwide.”


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R E A D   N E X T

  • Fort Worth-based marketing agency The Starr Conspiracy has officially rebranded as TSC, signaling a new era with fresh leadership. CEO Ashley Bernard is steering the agency toward innovation, AI investment, and cutting-edge marketing strategies, with the rebrand unveiled at the 2024 HR Technology Conference & Exposition.

  • Trinity Christian Academy has named Lisa Wong, a former Raytheon engineer and TCA’s director of technology, as its first chief innovation officer. Wong will lead the integration of cutting-edge technology, foster innovation, and prepare students for future careers.

  • Meghan Baivier is the new CFO of the technology infrastructure company that offers innovative, sustainable, and adaptive scale data centers and build-to-scale solutions for global hyperscale and enterprise customers. Aligned also announced the transition of former CFO Anubhav Raj to Aligned’s new chief investment officer.

  • Kekin Ghelani previously held senior positions at Summit Materials, DuPont de Nemours, Celanese, McKesson, and Honeywell.

  • The investment in Kirkland, Washington-based American Binary marks “a significant step towards fortifying digital security as civilization moves toward the quantum computing era,” the Dallas-based private equity firm said.



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Sheriff T.K. Waters discusses AI facial recognition technology use – Action News Jax

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Sheriff T.K. Waters discusses AI facial recognition technology use  Action News Jax



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California IT Leaders to Talk AI, Security and More at State of Technology

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On Aug. 7, IT leaders from across the California state enterprise will gather to talk tech at the annual State of Technology — California Industry Forum.

The event will feature several California tech leaders, including:

The one-day event will cover subjects including procurement, innovation, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

Joe Morris, chief innovation officer for the Center for Digital Government*, will give a breakdown of the California budget.

Industry Insider — California members will receive a discount on registration. Check-in begins at 12:30 p.m., and the event ends at 5:15 p.m. The event will take place at Hilton Sacramento Arden West. For questions or registration, contact Brad Loebs.

*The Center for Digital Government is part of e.Republic, Industry Insider — California’s parent company.



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