Apple Vision Pro executive reportedly leaving for OpenAI
Apple vice president Paul Meade, who oversaw the Vision Pro headset, is leaving the company to join OpenAI's hardware team, according to reports.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Paul Meade, the Apple vice president in charge of the Vision Pro headset, is leaving the company to join OpenAI's hardware team. Meade is also reported to have led the development of AI-powered smart glasses that Apple plans to launch next year.
The costly Vision Pro was not a commercial success, but Apple hopes that more affordable smart glasses will help it compete with Meta's wearable devices. Gurman frames this departure as a byproduct of John Ternus' imminent elevation to Apple CEO, and his decision to shake up the hardware engineering team, which left some vice presidents feeling demoted.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is already working with Apple's former chief design officer Jony Ive on an AI device that CEO Sam Altman has described as more peaceful and calm than an iPhone, though reports last fall suggested the company was struggling to get the details right. TechCrunch has reached out to Apple and OpenAI for comment.
