Unpleasant news for Apple at the weekend: An important top employee from the Vision Pro and Smartglass division is changing sides. As the financial news agency Bloomberg writes, Paul Meade, Apple manager with the rank of vice president, will work in OpenAI’s hardware unit in the future. This in turn consists of ex-Apple design boss Jony Ive and his hardware company i/o, which OpenAI acquired for billions.
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Important function in the Vision Products Group
Meade was previously considered the main person responsible for the Vision Pro project, which he was supposed to slowly but surely convert into a smartglass project. Apple supposedly wants to disrupt the entire eyewear business – initially with headsets without a display, but later as a kind of small Vision Pro. With Meade this is no longer implemented. According to informed circles, it is intended to help OpenAI build its own devices. According to the latest status, these are planned for 2027.
Meade was directly involved with Apple’s devices and had worked in hardware engineering for seven years, primarily for the Vision Pro project. Neither Apple nor OpenAI commented on the matter. When it comes to the Vision Pro, it is currently unclear whether Apple will release more models or move straight into smart glasses. The M5 model was presented last year. A lighter Vision Air is reportedly not initially planned. This may have frustrated Meade; According to Bloomberg, his departure is directly related to the changes that John Ternus is planning as the new Apple boss.
Shifts in the hardware area
Meade’s previous team, the Vision Products Group, or VPG for short, is now led by his deputy Fletcher Rothkopf. He was previously responsible for product design. Meade isn’t the only executive who left Apple for OpenAI. Ive had recruited the designers Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, among others, and numerous middle managers, designers and hardware experts are said to have “defected”.
Most recently, Johny Srouji, Apple’s chip boss, was given more power in the hardware sector and is said to be working on major restructuring measures there. That too may have led to conflict with Meade, who may have felt “demoted,” according to Bloomberg. It is still unclear what hardware OpenAI is actually planning; recently there were rumors that it could even be a smartphone.
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