Bloomberg says Paul Meade will start OpenAI’s hardware division.
Apple VP Paul Meade, head of the Vision Products Group, is reportedly leaving the company for OpenAI next week. According to Bloomberg, the top executive in charge of the Vision Pro headset and Apple’s smart glasses project will start the AI company’s hardware unit. OpenAI has been developing AI-powered devices since 2025 with Jony Ive’s startup. While Ive’s io merged with OpenAI in a $6.5 billion deal, it remains independent.
It’s unclear how the new in-house hardware department will impact OpenAI’s work with Ive’s startup. bloomberg Meade will oversee the development of a family of AI-powered devices. Information It was reported earlier this year that Ive’s studio is also working on a series of AI devices, including a smart speaker that is expected to be available sometime in 2027.
At Apple, Meade led hardware engineering for the Vision Pro headset for seven years and was also leading the company’s smart glasses projects. Previous reports had said that Apple would not launch its first smart glasses model until late 2027. Meade also worked on the iPad and iPhone before joining Vision Products Group in 2017, then overseeing the group’s hardware engineering a few years later. Fletcher Rothkopf, who was one of the founders of the Apple Vision Pro team, will take over many of Mead’s responsibilities.
bloomberg Mead’s departure is said to be due to the impending appointment of John Ternes as Apple’s CEO. Ternes is currently SVP of Hardware Engineering and will take over from Tim Cook on September 1st.
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