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Apple Explores Major Acquisitions to Counter AI Researcher Exodus

Tim Cook signaled openness to major acquisitions to bolster Apple’s AI capabilities following a wave of high-profile departures.

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Apple is reportedly losing top AI researchers as and rivals are circling
Apple's bid to close the AI gap may be hampered by AI brain drain
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Overview

  • Apple has lost about a dozen AI researchers since January 2025, including leaders of its Foundation Models team who moved to Meta, OpenAI, xAI and Cohere.
  • Recruiters warn the talent departures reflect a crisis of confidence in Apple’s AI future and note each loss hits hard given the team’s 50–60 person size.
  • In early August, CEO Tim Cook held a company-wide meeting to reassure staff and vowed to accelerate Siri enhancements under the Apple Intelligence banner.
  • During its Q3 earnings call, Cook said Apple is open to acquisitions of any size for AI and disclosed that seven AI startups have been acquired so far this year.
  • Apple is exploring partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic, has considered buying Perplexity AI and has delayed its LLM-powered Siri launch until spring 2026.