Paul Meade leaves Apple to join OpenAI hardware team

Paul Meade, the Apple vice president in charge of the Vision Pro headset, is reportedly leaving the company to join the hardware team at OpenAI. The departure, which was reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, represents a transfer of hardware engineering talent from Apple to the artificial intelligence startup. Meade’s transition comes as OpenAI seeks to establish its own presence in physical devices, drawing from Apple’s executive ranks to build out its hardware capabilities.

At Apple, Meade reportedly led the development of the company’s AI-powered smart glasses, which Apple plans to launch next year. This upcoming product represents a focus for Apple following its experience with the Vision Pro headset. The Vision Pro headset was not a commercial success, prompting Apple to explore other wearable formats. By developing smart glasses, Apple hopes to compete with wearable devices from Meta. According to Gurman, Meade’s departure is a byproduct of John Ternus’ imminent elevation to Apple CEO. Ternus, the incoming Apple CEO, has initiated a shake-up of the hardware engineering team, a move that reportedly left some of the company’s vice presidents feeling like they had been demoted. This restructuring has created waves within Apple’s hardware engineering division, ultimately leading to Meade’s decision to leave.

OpenAI’s recruitment of Meade aligns with its ongoing efforts to design physical products. The company is already working with Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief design officer, on an AI device. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has claimed that the upcoming AI device will be “more peaceful and calm than an iPhone.” However, the development process has faced challenges. Reports last fall suggested that OpenAI was struggling with device details, highlighting the difficulties the startup faces as it attempts to transition from software to consumer hardware. The collaboration with Ive, combined with the hiring of Meade, indicates that OpenAI is assembling a team of former Apple executives to guide its hardware strategy.

Why it matters

This move signals OpenAI’s intent to build consumer hardware, leveraging talent from Apple to compete in AI-powered wearable devices.