OpenAI has scored a major hardware coup by hiring Paul Meade, the Apple executive who until recently led the development of the Vision Pro headset and the company's smart glasses project. According to Bloomberg, Meade will leave Apple by next week to join OpenAI's hardware division, where he will work on a new family of AI-powered devices.
OpenAI's new hardware leader
Paul Meade, an Apple vice president, led the Vision Products Group (VPG) for seven years and was also responsible for the company's first smart glasses program, expected to launch in late 2027. His departure is a significant blow to Apple, which loses a key figure amid an internal restructuring. People familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirm that Meade will start at OpenAI immediately after leaving Apple. The move fits into OpenAI's strategy to develop proprietary AI hardware, an initiative that last summer led to the creation of a subsidiary called 'io' in collaboration with renowned designer Jony Ive and the LoveFrom team. As previously covered in our article, OpenAI has already attracted several former Apple designers and engineers, including Evans Hankey and Tang Ten, to work on AI-first hardware. With Meade on board, the team gains unparalleled expertise in designing complex devices.
Sponsored Protocol
Paul Meade's career at Apple
Meade's career at Apple is marked by successes. Before leading the VPG, he was a key iPad manager in 2010 and head of iPhone program management in 2012. In 2017, he joined the Vision Products group, taking over all hardware engineering in 2019. Under his supervision, the Vision Pro became one of Apple's most ambitious products, blending virtual and augmented reality. His experience in managing large-scale hardware projects will be invaluable to OpenAI, which aims to translate the power of its language models into innovative physical devices.
Impact on Apple after Meade's departure
Meade's exit is not an isolated event but is tied to a broader restructuring initiated by Apple's new CEO, John Ternus. As Bloomberg reports, Johny Srouji, Apple's chip chief, became chief hardware officer, replacing Ternus and initiating a controversial shake-up of the hardware engineering unit in recent weeks. Several vice presidents received new roles, some feeling they were demoted. With Srouji in charge, Meade and other hardware leaders now report to Tom Marieb, the new vice president of hardware engineering, rather than directly to Srouji, effectively pushing them down a level. This climate of uncertainty may have spurred Meade to seek new opportunities. His responsibilities at Apple have been transferred to Fletcher Rothkopf, his longtime deputy who oversees product design for the Vision Pro and smart glasses. For more context on the broader tech landscape, see our article on Europe's AI sovereignty push.
Sponsored Protocol
OpenAI's hardware plans
OpenAI has not yet revealed details of the devices it intends to produce, but rumors point to a personal AI assistant integrated into a wearable item, perhaps smart glasses or a smart ring. Hiring an expert like Meade suggests the company aims for a high-end product that combines refined design with advanced AI capabilities. The partnership with Jony Ive ensures an aesthetic sensibility reminiscent of Apple, while Meade's hardware know-how can turn a concept into a real product. As noted on Wikipedia, the Vision Pro set new standards for headsets, and Meade knows the production and engineering challenges intimately. His arrival could accelerate the time-to-market for OpenAI devices, possibly within the next year. With this hire, OpenAI demonstrates its ambition to compete directly with Apple and other tech giants in the hardware market, bringing artificial intelligence out of the cloud and into users' pockets.
Sponsored Protocol
Source: https://9to5mac.com/2026/06/26/openai-poaches-apple-vision-pro-and-smart-glasses-chief
