Apple Vision Pro hardware chief departs for OpenAI
Reuters reported on 27‑06‑2026 that Paul Meade, Apple’s Vice President responsible for the Vision Pro headset and the company’s forthcoming smart‑glasses portfolio, will exit Apple by next week. Meade is slated to head OpenAI’s newly expanding hardware division, where he will be tasked with creating a family of AI‑native devices. Neither Apple nor OpenAI has issued an official comment on the move.
Meade has been the architect of Apple’s spatial‑computing hardware for the past seven years, leading Vision Pro hardware engineering and actively steering the development of display‑free smart glasses intended to compete with Meta’s offerings in the coming year. His departure creates a significant vacancy in Apple’s Vision Products Group, which will be temporarily overseen by his deputy, Fletcher Rothkopf.
The transition is described as a major talent coup for OpenAI. Meade joins a cadre of former Apple designers—including Jony Ive, Tang Tan and Evans Hankey—whose AI‑hardware startup was acquired by OpenAI last year for an estimated $6.5 billion. By adding Meade, OpenAI is further bolstering its hardware capabilities and effectively integrating elements of Apple’s historic design expertise into its AI‑focused product strategy.
Key figures: Meade’s tenure spans seven years; OpenAI’s prior acquisition of the Apple design trio was valued at $6.5 billion. No financial terms for Meade’s move were disclosed.
Implications: Apple will rely on Rothkopf to maintain momentum on its Vision Pro and smart‑glasses projects, while OpenAI gains a senior executive with deep experience in consumer‑grade spatial computing hardware.