Apple Vision Pro chief leaves for OpenAI
What's the story
Paul Meade, Apple's Vice President and head of the Vision Pro headset and smart glasses division, is leaving the tech giant to join OpenAI, according to Bloomberg. His departure comes as part of a series of high-profile exits from Apple to competitors in the AI and hardware space. Meade will be joining OpenAI's hardware unit next week to work on a new line of AI-powered devices.
Legacy
Meade's decade-long journey at Apple
Meade has been with Apple for over a decade, starting as a key iPad manager in 2010. He later became head of iPhone program management in 2012 and joined the Vision Products Group (VPG) in 2017. He has led hardware engineering for the Vision Pro headset for seven years and is also responsible for display-free Apple smart glasses aimed at entering the AI wearables market next year.
Ongoing work
Future projects under Meade's team
Meade's team, the VPG, is also working on future augmented reality glasses slated for the end of this decade. They are also developing a range of other AI-related wearables. With Meade's departure, Fletcher Rothkopf, his long-time deputy who heads product design for Vision Pro and smart glasses projects, will take over many of his responsibilities at Apple.
Transition
Collaboration with former Apple colleagues at OpenAI
At OpenAI, Meade will be working with former Apple colleagues Jony Ive, Tang Tan, and Evans Hankey. The trio co-founded an AI hardware start-up that was acquired by OpenAI last year for $6.5 billion. OpenAI has plans to launch several new devices in the coming years, while Apple is also developing a range of new AI products, including smart home devices and AirPods with cameras.
Organizational shift
Impact of leadership changes on hardware engineering unit
Meade's exit comes after John Ternus, head of all Apple hardware engineering and Meade's former boss, was promoted to replace Tim Cook as CEO. Johny Srouji, head of Apple chips, became chief hardware officer and initiated a controversial shake-up in Apple's hardware engineering unit. This has resulted in several vice presidents under Ternus being assigned new roles, with some feeling demoted.