Apple Vision Pro exec is reportedly leaving for OpenAI

Apple executive Paul Meade, who oversaw the Vision Pro headset, is departing to join OpenAI's hardware division, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported [1]. The move comes as Apple prepares for a leadership transition and OpenAI expands its physical device ambitions. Meade led development of the Vision Pro, a device that did not achieve commercial success, and was also directing work on AI-powered smart glasses Apple plans to launch next year [1]. The glasses are seen as a more affordable entry point to compete with wearable devices from Meta [1]. Gurman attributes the departure partly to the impending elevation of John Ternus to Apple CEO, a transition confirmed to occur in September 2026 [4]. Ternus's restructuring of the hardware engineering team reportedly left some vice presidents feeling demoted [1]. OpenAI, the San Francisco-based organization behind ChatGPT, has been building out its hardware capabilities [2]. The company is collaborating with Jony Ive, Apple's former chief design officer, on an artificial intelligence device [1]. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has described the concept as one that "will be more peaceful and calm than an iPhone" [1]. Meade's move is not the first time Apple talent has shifted toward newer technology frontiers. Apple itself redirected resources in 2024 when it canceled its decade-long electric and self-driving car project, Project Titan, and reassigned staff to generative AI efforts [3]. That project had cost over $1 billion per year and resulted in more than 600 layoffs upon cancellation [3]. Apple has since integrated AI across its product line through Apple Intelligence, a suite of features announced in June 2024 that includes writing tools, image generation, and integration with OpenAI's ChatGPT [6]. OpenAI, meanwhile, has continued releasing new models such as the o1 reasoning system, which debuted in preview in September 2024 [7]. OpenAI was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit and later created a for-profit subsidiary [2]. Microsoft has invested over $13 billion in the company, and a 2025 restructuring converted the subsidiary into a public benefit corporation [2]. As of October 2025, a share sale valued OpenAI at $500 billion [2].