Ruofei Zhang

Ruofei Zhang is a distinguished engineer and engineering director at Apple since September 2023, focusing on AI and machine learning modeling, particularly in generative AI and question answering. Prior to joining Apple, Ruofei served as Director of Engineering at Google from April 2022 to September 2023, leading the Assistant+LaMDA team to develop generative AI systems for multi-turn conversational applications, including the launch of Bard. From December 2012 to April 2022, Ruofei held the position of VP and Distinguished Engineer at Microsoft, overseeing AI-driven technologies for search advertising and recommendation services. Earlier roles at Microsoft included managing research and development in machine learning and NLP. Ruofei began a career in Yahoo! from June 2005 to June 2012, where significant contributions were made in advertising sciences and performance analytics. Ruofei's academic background includes a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Binghamton University and a Master’s degree in Electronics from Tsinghua University.