Apple hardware VP Paul Meade to join OpenAI as John Ternus becomes CEO

Paul Meade, the Apple vice president who heads the Vision Products Group, will leave the company next week to join OpenAI and establish its hardware division, Engadget reported. Meade led hardware engineering for the Vision Pro headset for seven years and oversaw Apple's smart glasses projects. Meade will oversee development of a family of AI-powered devices at OpenAI.

The company has worked on such devices with Jony Ive's startup since 2025. Ive's io merged with OpenAI in a $6.5 billion deal yet remains independent. At Apple, Fletcher Rothkopf, one of the founders of the Vision Pro team, will take over many of Meade's responsibilities.

Bloomberg reported that Meade's departure follows John Ternus's appointment as Apple's CEO on September 1. Meade joined the Vision Products Group in 2017 after earlier roles managing iPad and iPhone programs that began in 2010 and 2012. He took over hardware engineering for the group in 2019.

Apple does not expect to launch its first smart glasses model until the end of 2027 and has no plans to ship an enclosed headset until 2028 or 2029. The company is also developing other AI-powered wearables including AirPods with cameras and a tabletop robot.