Good morning, tech enthusiasts. Apple’s top AI architect, Ruoming Pang, is jumping ship to join Meta’s ambitious Superintelligence Labs, just as the Cupertino giant’s models struggle to impress.

Is this a critical blow to Apple’s AI plans? And could Meta’s talent grab shift the balance in the AI race?

In today’s tech rundown:

• Meta poaches Apple’s head of AI

• Jack Dorsey’s ‘Bitchat’ messaging app

• The American version of TikTok

• OpenAI’s military-grade lab lockdown

• Quick hits on other major tech news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

META/APPLE

🍏 Meta poaches Apple’s head of AI

Image source: Ideogram/The Rundown

The Rundown: In a major win for Meta’s expanding AI ambitions, Apple’s head of AI models, Ruoming Pang, is leaving Cupertino to join Mark Zuckerberg’s newly launched AI division, Superintelligence Labs, Bloomberg reports.

The details:

• At Apple, Pang played a key role in developing foundation models powering Apple Intelligence and the upcoming Siri update.

• His exit comes amid mounting troubles at Apple over its AI models, which have lagged behind the offerings of OpenAI, Anthropic, and even Meta itself.

• Meta has been aggressively recruiting top AI talent for its Superintelligence Labs, led by Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman.

• Apple has reportedly explored licensing third-party AI models, such as those from OpenAI or Google, to supplement its technology.

Why it matters: Meta’s aggressive hiring spree — offering multimillion-dollar salaries — has become a major draw for top talent, while Apple’s AI division is reportedly grappling with internal friction. Pang’s departure could spark a broader wave of exits, as other key players may question Apple’s AI strategy and its ability to stay competitive.

JACK DORSEY

🔥 Jack Dorsey’s ‘Bitchat’ messaging app

Image source: Steve Jurvetson/Wikimedia Commons

The Rundown: Block CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey posted on X that he spent his weekend building a new messaging app called Bitchat, which he described as a peer-to-peer chat service that operates entirely over Bluetooth mesh networks.

The details:

• The app, available in beta via TestFlight (which quickly maxed out its user limit), doesn’t require the internet, phone numbers, or email addresses to use it.

• It’s designed for encrypted, ephemeral communication that can persist even when traditional networks are blocked or censored. 

• Each device acts as both a client and a relay, allowing messages to “hop” from device to device, extending the range far beyond standard Bluetooth limits.

• The app supports password-protected group chats, and it features mechanisms like timing randomization to further obfuscate user activity.

Why it matters: Dorsey, a proponent of decentralized tech like Bluesky and Nostr, called Bitchat an experiment in mesh networking, store-and-forward messaging, and end-to-end encryption. Wi-Fi Direct support is coming, enabling even richer peer-to-peer sharing offline.

TIKTOK

💃🏻 The American version of TikTok

Image source: Ideogram/The Rundown

The Rundown: TikTok is reportedly building a U.S.-only version of its app as pressure mounts on Chinese parent ByteDance, which is targeting a Sept. 5 launch — well ahead of the March 2026 shutdown deadline for the current version.

The details:

• The new app is expected to operate independently from ByteDance’s global infrastructure, with all U.S. user data migrated to U.S.-based servers.

• The report follows President Trump’s announcement that talks with China on a TikTok sale are starting this week, with a deal being “pretty much” in place.

• U.S. users will need to download a new app, and it’s unclear if ByteDance will transfer TikTok’s recommendation algorithm to the new U.S. version.

• The switchover could disrupt ad targeting, follower retention, and algorithm-driven engagement — a potential blow to creators and brands.

Why it matters: Amid the ongoing U.S.-China standoff, Trump has extended the TikTok ban, pushing the sell-by deadline to September 17. A potential buyout could top $50B. Now, the fate of TikTok’s 170M U.S. users rests on whether a stripped-down version can survive, potentially without its core algorithm.

OPENAI

🔒 OpenAI’s military-grade lab lockdown

Image source: Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch/Wikimedia Commons

The Rundown: OpenAI has significantly tightened its security measures amid rising concerns over intellectual property theft, following the January release of a rival open-source AI model by DeepSeek, the Financial Times reports.

The details:

• OpenAI’s overhaul includes biometric access controls and a “deny-by-default” internet policy that requires explicit approval for any external connections.

• Proprietary tech is now isolated on offline systems, and only a tightly vetted group of employees can access or even discuss certain projects.

• OpenAI claims DeepSeek used “distillation” methods to extract knowledge from its models through structured API queries, breaching usage terms.

• In response, the AI giant now has stricter verification for API access, requiring government-issued IDs to unlock advanced features.

Why it matters: OpenAI is seriously locking down the lab to protect its $300B AI powerhouse as concerns rise about Chinese corporate espionage. In the AI arms race, it’s not just outsiders they’re likely worried about — it’s loose lips and poaching from their own backyard as well.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in tech today

Dubai’s XPANCEO reportedly raised $250M in a Series A round of funding for its night-vision and optical zoom contact lens.

Amazon’s four-day Prime Day sales event is expected to boost online spending to an eye-watering $23.9B, a 28.4% increase from last year.

Waymo started robotaxi testing in Philadelphia and NYC, deploying sensor-equipped vehicles to map and collect data as it explores expanding its service.

Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, reportedly withdrew its antitrust lawsuit against Samsung after the two companies reached an undisclosed settlement.

Top European executives from Mistral, ASML, Airbus, and others have requested that the European Commission delay enforcing its landmark AI act for two years.

Apple is appealing a €500M ($587M) EU fine for allegedly breaching new Big Tech regulations.

China’s BYD is set to begin assembling EVs at its new Brazilian factory as early as this month, aiming to cut imports as rising tariffs impact its largest overseas market.

Intel has begun a major round of layoffs, notifying employees individually this week, with reports indicating that thousands of jobs are on the line.

AI cloud infrastructure provider CoreWeave says it plans to buy Core Scientific, a data center infrastructure operator, in a reported all-stock deal valued at $9B.

COMMUNITY

🎥 Join our next live workshop

Join our next workshop this Wednesday, July 9th at 3 PM EST with Tomek Sułkowski, Founding Engineer and DevRel Lead at Bolt. By the end of the session, you’ll confidently build and deploy scalable apps using Bolt.

Watch it here. Not a member? Join The Rundown University on a 14-day free trial.

See you soon,

Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team