Paul Meade, an Apple vice president responsible for the Vision Pro headset, is departing the company to join the hardware team at OpenAI, as reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Meade is also said to have led the creation of AI-driven smart glasses that Apple intends to release next year. The Vision Pro, which came with a high price tag, did not succeed as expected. However, Apple is optimistic that the introduction of more budget-friendly smart glasses will enable it to better compete with wearable offerings from Meta.
Gurman attributes Meade’s exit to the anticipated promotion of John Ternus to Apple CEO, and Ternus’ subsequent restructuring of the hardware engineering team. This reorganization reportedly left some vice presidents feeling as though they had been downgraded.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is collaborating with Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief design officer, on developing an AI device. CEO Sam Altman has suggested this device will offer a calmer and more serene experience than the iPhone, though reports from last fall indicated difficulties in finalizing its design.
JS has contacted both Apple and OpenAI for their comments on the matter.
