Ke Yang, the Apple executive who is overseeing the ambitious overhaul of Siri’s AI capabilities, has been recruited by Meta. Yang oversaw Apple’s AI-driven web search initiative and was recently appointed as the chief of the “Answers, Knowledge, and Information” (AKI) team.
This team was dedicated to enhancing Siri’s intelligence by allowing it to retrieve information directly from the web.
Apple plans to compete with OpenAI and Google Gemini with a major Siri update in March 2026. Yang’s departure is another blow to Apple’s AI business, which has lost many employees this year, including Ruoming Pang, who left for Meta.
Apple’s AI talent drain and Siri revamp at risk
Yang’s exit raises more doubts about Apple’s capacity to implement its much-awaited Siri update. Yang was regarded as a key player advancing the Siri project within Apple’s artificial intelligence and machine learning (AIML) group.
His departure comes after a string of departures from Apple’s AI division, with about a dozen team members moving to Meta’s brand-new Superintelligence Labs.
Insiders said more AI team workers may defect in the coming months, jeopardising Siri’s ability to use personal data for more complex tasks. After Yang left, Benoit Dupin temporarily led the AKI team.
Meta’s strategic bet on AI leadership
Meta is aggressively building its AI capabilities, establishing Superintelligence Labs and recruiting top talent like Yang and earlier recruits from Apple’s AI team. This strategy aims to position Meta as a formidable player in the AI race.
Yang’s move highlights tech titans’ fierce rivalry for AI leadership in search and assistant technology. Meta should hire someone involved in Siri’s architectural revamp to speed its AI goals and compete better.
These executive moves reveal an ongoing reshuffle in AI leadership that could reshape the future of digital assistants and AI-driven search technologies across the tech landscape.