A High-Profile Departure from Apple's Vision Products Group
Paul Meade, a prominent Apple Vice President who led hardware engineering for the Vision Pro headset and the company's smart glasses efforts, is reportedly leaving the tech giant to join OpenAI's hardware unit. Meade is expected to begin his new role at OpenAI next week, where he will contribute to the development of their upcoming family of AI-powered devices. His departure marks a significant loss for Apple's Vision Products Group, where he had been instrumental in hardware engineering for seven years.
Before his leadership role in the Vision Products Group, Meade held key positions within Apple, including managing the iPad in 2010 and heading iPhone program management in 2012. He joined the Vision Products Group in 2017 and took over all hardware engineering for the Vision Pro in 2019. His responsibilities at Apple are expected to transition to Fletcher Rothkopf, his longtime deputy who is in charge of product design for the Vision Pro and smart glasses.
OpenAI's Growing Hardware Ambitions and Apple Talent Acquisition
Meade's move to OpenAI is the latest in a series of high-profile recruitments from Apple, underscoring OpenAI's serious commitment to developing its own AI-first hardware. Last year, OpenAI acquired the AI hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, along with other Apple alumni like Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, in a deal reportedly worth $6.5 billion. This growing roster of former Apple talent at OpenAI suggests a concerted effort to build a dedicated AI hardware business.
OpenAI's hardware ambitions are focused on creating a new family of AI-powered devices, with a particular emphasis on products that do not rely on traditional screens. This design philosophy aligns with Meade's background in developing the Vision Pro, which aimed to layer digital information over the physical world, and Apple's upcoming display-free smart glasses. The company has also been actively poaching talent from other tech giants, including Google DeepMind, for its AI initiatives.
Internal Reshuffling at Apple and the Future of Vision Pro
The departure of Meade is reportedly linked to a broader leadership reorganization within Apple's hardware division. This reshuffle follows the impending appointment of John Ternus as Apple's next CEO, effective September 1. As part of these changes, Johny Srouji, previously Apple's chips boss, became chief hardware officer, replacing Ternus, and initiated a shake-up of the hardware engineering unit. Some executives, including Meade, reportedly felt they had been demoted due to these changes, as they now report to Tom Marieb, the new vice president of hardware engineering, rather than directly to Srouji.
Apple's Vision Pro headset has faced challenges in achieving mainstream adoption, and the company is reportedly shifting its focus towards smart glasses, with an expected launch in late 2027. Meade's departure leaves Apple's Vision Products Group at a critical juncture for these upcoming projects. The accumulation of Apple hardware talent at OpenAI, from the acquisition of Ive's startup to Meade's recent move, makes OpenAI's consumer device ambitions increasingly concrete.