Paul Meade, Apple’s vice president in charge of the Vision Pro, is leaving for OpenAI’s hardware team, where he’ll work on the company’s next AI device. His move follows internal shakeups tied to John Ternus’ expected rise to CEO, as Apple pushes for cheaper s
Paul Meade—Apple’s vice president in charge of the Vision Pro—has decided to leave the company to join OpenAI’s hardware team. The change. framed by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. comes as Apple’s leadership appears poised to shift. and as the company looks for a more affordable path into the wearable market.
Meade isn’t just associated with the Vision Pro. He also reportedly led the development of Apple’s AI-powered smart glasses that the company plans to launch next year. For all the ambition wrapped around that next device. the Vision Pro itself wasn’t a hit. leaving Apple with a familiar kind of pressure: make the next wearable land differently.
This is where the target audience starts to feel real. Apple is betting that lower-priced smart glasses can help it compete with wearable devices from Meta. It’s an explicit pivot from a costly product toward something more accessible—because in wearables. price is often the difference between a gadget people try and one they adopt.
Gurman’s reporting ties Meade’s departure to a broader internal reordering: John Ternus’ imminent elevation to Apple CEO. and Ternus’ decision to shake up the hardware engineering team. Gurman also describes how that shakeup left some vice presidents feeling like they’d been demoted—an atmosphere that can turn even successful projects into personal turning points.
OpenAI, for its part, is already moving on the hardware front. The company is reportedly working with Apple’s former chief design officer Jony Ive on an AI device. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has claimed the device will be “more peaceful and calm” than an iPhone. Last fall. though. reports suggested OpenAI was struggling to get the details right—an unusually delicate phase for any team trying to translate big ideas into a product that actually works and feels right.
TechCrunch has reached out to Apple and OpenAI for comment.
Apple Vision Pro Paul Meade OpenAI hardware team Jony Ive Sam Altman smart glasses Meta wearables John Ternus Apple CEO