Finance Associated Press, December 27 (edited by Huang Junzhi).Sam Altman, former top Apple designer and OpenAI CEO, is recruiting Apple IncOne of the veterans is involved in a new artificial intelligence hardware project aimed at creating devices with the latest capabilities.
According to people familiar with the matter, Tang Tan, Apple's outgoing vice president of product design, will be invited to join LoveFrom, the design company of Ive, Apple's former chief design officer, to participate in new artificial intelligence hardware projects and design the appearance and functionality of new products. As a representative of artificial intelligence, Altman plans to provide the software foundation.
This work is one of the most ambitious efforts since IVE left Apple in 2019 to create LoveFrom. He is the main designer and conceptualizer of many Apple products, including MacBook Pro, IMAC, MacBook Air, iPod, iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, and has participated in many Apple product presentations.
According to people familiar with the matter, he wants to transform the AI hardware device business into a new company, but product development is still in its early stages. So far, efforts have focused on recruiting talent and building concepts.
The people also said that Tan will be responsible for the hardware engineering of the project while working at Lovefrom. **It was previously reported that the executive will step down from his position as vice president of product design for Apple's iPhone and watches. He is not expected to leave until February, although his responsibilities have been amortized earlier this month.
Apple is facing a massive brain drain
For Apple, Tan's departure highlights the massive loss of design talent. Since 2019, about 14 members of the Apple team that IVE originally led have left. Of the designers who once reported to IVE, only about six remain at Apple.
Earlier this year, Ive's successor, Evans Hankey, also left the company, having only been with Apple for a few years. The brain drain left the company without an obvious candidate to replace her. Instead of appointing a new executive to lead the design, Apple has Jeff Williams, its chief operating officer, directly manage the company's designers.
At the same time, LoveFrom has gathered a number of high-profile customers, including Airbnb Inc, Ferrari and Moncler Spa. The company also signed a three-year agreement with Apple to continue providing consulting services, but the partnership ended in 2022. So far, more than 20 former Apple employees have joined the design house.
The wave of resignations from Apple has continued recently. Patrick Coffman, one of Apple's most important heads of user interface design, has left his job. Colin Burns, who joined Apple after leaving IVE, will leave in January. He manages Apple's Interaction Architecture team, where he explores early hardware and software concepts.
Finance Associated Press Huang Junzhi).