Apple loses head of glasses to OpenAI Apfelpatient

Apple is losing another key figure to OpenAI: Paul Meade, who was responsible for the hardware development of the Vision Pro and the planned Apple glasses, is moving to the AI company. His departure comes amid a restructuring at the top of Apple's hardware division.

It's not the first high-profile move from Apple to OpenAI – but it is one of the most significant. As Bloomberg reports, Paul Meade, a vice president and longtime head of hardware, will leave the company next week. His departure is directly related to the personnel changes triggered by the change at the top of the company from Tim Cook to John Ternus. For Apple, this departure represents a significant loss of expertise in a strategically important product area.

Those who leave Apple

Paul Meade was considered Apple's top executive responsible for the Vision Pro headset and the company's efforts surrounding its upcoming smart glasses. He will leave the company by next week at the latest and then join OpenAI's hardware unit. There, he will work on the announced family of AI-powered devices that the company is developing. Those familiar with the matter declined to comment on the exact reasons for the move, as these are matters that have not yet been made public.

A key figure behind Vision Pro and glasses

Meade's track record at Apple goes back a long way. He joined the company in 2010, initially working as a key iPad manager, and in 2012 took over leadership of iPhone program management. In 2017, he moved to the Vision Products Group (VPG) and from 2019 onward, he was responsible for all hardware development within that division. For over seven years, he led the Vision Pro hardware engineering team.

Meade took over leadership of VPG when the previous Vision Pro head, Mike Rockwell, moved to the AI enhancement of Siri. Most recently, Meade was responsible for the development of the AI glasses with which Apple intends to compete with Meta's Ray-Ban models, and which are expected to launch at the end of 2027. The team working on future augmented reality glasses also fell under his purview.

Whoever takes on their tasks

With Meade's departure, many of his responsibilities as head of the Vision Products Group will be transferred to Fletcher Rothkopf. Rothkopf was previously his long-time deputy and leads the product design function for the Vision Pro and smart glasses. This ensures that the leadership of the division remains in familiar hands.

Result of a restructuring at the top

Meade's decision is a direct consequence of the leadership changes at Apple. With the move from Cook to Ternus, Meade's position became more prominent. Chip chief Johny Srouji appointed Chief Hardware Officer and thus took over Ternus's previous role. In recent weeks, Srouji initiated a controversial reorganization of the hardware engineering unit. As part of this, several vice presidents who had previously reported to Ternus were given new roles – some executives reportedly perceived this as a demotion.

Specifically, Meade and several other hardware executives no longer report directly to Srouji, but to Tom Marieb, the new Vice President of Hardware Engineering. Marieb, in turn, reports to Srouji, effectively demoting many of these executives.

OpenAI's continued pursuit of Apple talent

This move is part of a longer series. Last year, OpenAI partnered with former Apple design chief Jony Ive and several designers from his studio LoveFrom to develop AI-centric hardware through its subsidiary io. Since then, OpenAI has repeatedly poached current and former Apple designers and engineers, including Evans Hankey, who led Apple's design for three years after Ive's departure, and Tang Tan. With Meade's departure, Apple is now losing another key hardware figure to the very company that is poised to establish its own device category. The extent to which this exodus will impact Apple's plans for Vision Pro and its glasses will likely only become clear in the coming months. (Image: Shutterstock / Ringo Chiu)