In a significant talent move, Paul Meade, the Vice President of Hardware Engineering for Apple's Vision Products Group, has left the company to join OpenAI's hardware team.
Meade was a central figure at Apple, directly responsible for the hardware development of the Vision Pro headset. His career at Apple included leadership roles in iPhone hardware and augmented reality projects. By March 2025, he had taken charge of the Vision Products Group following an internal reorganization focused on AI.
The hire aligns directly with OpenAI's strategy to build AI-powered consumer hardware. The company has been assembling a team for this purpose, including its partnership with designer Jony Ive on a hardware venture. Meade's expertise in solving complex engineering challenges for spatial computing devices like the Vision Pro is directly applicable to OpenAI's goals.
This move highlights an accelerating trend of top hardware talent migrating to AI-focused companies. Despite its technical achievement, the Apple Vision Pro has seen modest market adoption, and Meade's departure to a key AI competitor underscores the shifting focus in the tech industry.