Paul Meade, Apple's Vice President who led the Vision Pro headset initiative, is reportedly leaving the company to join OpenAI's hardware team. This development was first reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Meade also played a pivotal role in the development of Apple's AI-powered smart glasses, which are anticipated to launch next year. While the high-cost Vision Pro did not achieve widespread success, Apple is reportedly hoping these more affordable smart glasses will enhance its competitiveness against wearable devices offered by Meta.
Gurman contextualizes Meade's departure as an outcome of John Ternus's imminent ascension to Apple CEO. Ternus's subsequent decision to restructure the hardware engineering team reportedly caused some of the company's vice presidents to feel their positions had been effectively demoted.
Meanwhile, OpenAI has been actively pursuing its own hardware ambitions, collaborating with Apple's former chief design officer, Jony Ive, on an AI device. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has characterized this forthcoming product as aiming to provide an experience that is "more peaceful and calm" than an iPhone, despite reports from last fall suggesting the company faced challenges in refining its details.
TechCrunch has sought comments from both Apple and OpenAI regarding these developments.
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