Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Meta has hired Ruoming Pang, Apple’s former AI executive who led the development of foundational AI models powering Apple Intelligence and next-gen Siri.
Pang’s pay package at Meta reportedly exceeds $200 million (₹1,660 crore), making it one of the largest deals for any AI leader globally.
The move reflects intensifying rivalry among tech giants vying for elite AI talent, with companies offering astronomical packages to outmaneuver each other.
With the median Indian middle-class income at ₹17.5 lakh per year, it would take nearly 9,486 years to match Pang’s 4-year Meta earnings.
Pang’s Meta salary equates to over ₹45 crore per year—nearly ₹12 lakh per day, highlighting the mind-bending scale of elite tech compensation.
This case underscores the dramatic financial gap between frontier AI leadership and average earners, especially in emerging markets like India.
Apple has not officially commented on Pang’s exit. Insiders note the move may signal a deeper talent drain amid growing AI wars.
Meta’s investment in Pang signals a long-term push to lead in AI infrastructure—especially as it scales open-source LLMs like Llama.
This hire—and its price tag—has sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley, raising fresh concerns about the sustainability of talent bidding wars.