In detail
- Meade also led development of Apple's AI-powered smart glasses, set to launch next year.
- The departure is framed as a consequence of John Ternus' imminent elevation to Apple CEO and his restructuring of the hardware engineering team.
- OpenAI is already working with Apple's former chief design officer Jony Ive on an AI device.
Why it matters
The departure of a top hardware talent from Apple to OpenAI underscores that OpenAI is aggressively investing in physical AI devices—a domain where Apple has not yet dominated. It signals a new competition for AI hardware beyond chips.