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Apple Loses Another Top Executive to OpenAI

Paul Meade, who oversees development on the Vision Pro and Apple's upcoming smart glasses, is leaving Apple for OpenAI, reports Bloomberg.

M5 Vision Pro Thumb 2
Meade took over leadership of Apple's Vision Products Group when Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell took over Siri's AI upgrade. He was previously leading the Vision Pro hardware engineering team, and before that, he was on the iPad and iPhone teams. Meade has been at Apple since 2010, and working in the Vision Products Group since 2017.

More recently, Meade was overseeing the development of the AI smart glasses that Apple has in the works to compete with the Meta Ray-Bans, and also leading the team working on future augmented reality glasses.

Meade is leaving Apple by next week and will join OpenAI's hardware unit to work on AI devices. Fletcher Rothkopf, who heads up product design function for the Vision Pro and smart glasses, will take over for Meade. Meade's decision to leave is a result of executive changes at Apple as John Ternus prepares to take over as CEO. Apple chip lead Johny Srouji is taking Ternus's role as chief hardware officer, and the reorganization has upset some hardware executives.

Former Apple employees Jony Ive, Tang Tan, and Evans Hankey are also at OpenAI, among others.

Tag: OpenAI

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Top Rated Comments

19 weeks ago
It’s been over a year since that cheesy Johnny Ive OpenAI video infomercial dropped, and hardware is nowhere to be seen.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Reason077 Avatar
19 weeks ago
Fair enough. If I were in Meade‘s shoes I’d be frustrated at Apples lackluster enthusiasm for the Vision Products Group these days too…

I wish him well at OpenAI. Presumably comes with a fat pay rise too. Gotta grab a slice of that AI money while you can!
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
19 weeks ago
People come and go nothing new on this industry.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
19 weeks ago
unapologetically poached.

Attachment Image
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
19 weeks ago
It’s been documented that the incoming CEO has not been a fan of the Vision Pro and I think this persons departure may support that.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
19 weeks ago

People come and go nothing new on this industry.
Exactly. It's a palace intrigue story for the LinkedIn set. Look at all those high-profile Meta poaches in recent years and that place, by all accounts, is an absolute dumpster fire place of employment. Every new (and old) AI upstart is throwing stupid money around trying to get a foothold, and this stuff is bound to happen. Ternus and Srouji should be given some latitude to restructure the business to suit their priorities.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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