Meta Platforms (META) Pitches AI for Everyone While Apple (AAPL) Quietly Turns to China

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a letter on August 10 advocating for the widespread distribution of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, rather than its concentration in the hands of a few entities or governments. The CEO also announced that Meta will resume releasing open-source AI models. The Wall Street Journal reported on August 9 that Apple Inc. has been testing memory chips from China's CXMT for potential use in iPhones and MacBooks to address a memory supply crunch.

Zuckerberg's letter, titled "The Future is for Everyone: The Path to a Positive AI Future," argues that no single company or government should have control over superintelligent AI. Meta has released the open-weight Muse Glimmer model, a 30-billion-parameter system capable of running on a single consumer GPU. The company plans to release the weights of Muse Spark 1.2 soon.

Apple's issue stems from soaring memory chip costs due to growing AI demand, prompting the company to raise prices globally. CXMT, now the most valuable company listed in mainland China with a $520 billion market cap, could provide relief, although U.S. export rules prevent Apple from ordering custom chips. Any deal carries political risk, as per the Wall Street Journal.

Spreading AI power around, as Meta suggests, might help solve the chip shortage affecting Apple. The new $1 billion Future is for Everyone Fund aims to win back developers who have shifted towards OpenAI and Anthropic. However, monetizing powerful models for free is challenging, and the letter does not provide clarity on how Meta's AI spending will generate revenue.

Apple's acquisition of memory chips from CXMT could ease cost pressures and reduce reliance on Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung. However, CXMT is already at capacity, leaving little room for major new customers. Any partnership with Apple could face political backlash due to concerns about CXMT's ties to China's military.

Meta and Apple have similar levels of hedge fund interest, with Meta having 262 holders (up from 256) and Apple having 170 (up from 169) as of Q1 2026. Microsoft, a major tech peer, has 282 holders (down from 312). Meta believes openness in AI can foster long-term goodwill, while Apple is addressing a hardware problem it cannot ignore. Neither approach guarantees success, but together, they highlight the varying strategies AI's leading companies are employing to manage costs.