OpenAI to Hire Apple Vision Products Head Paul Meade Next Week

Paul Meade, the Apple vice president who heads the Vision Products Group, will leave the company next week to join OpenAI and start its hardware division. Meade led hardware engineering for the Vision Pro headset for seven years and spearheaded Apple's smart glasses projects.

He worked on the iPad and iPhone before joining the Vision Products Group in 2017 and began overseeing hardware engineering for the group a couple of years later.

Fletcher Rothkopf, one of the founders of the Apple Vision Pro team, will take over many of Meade's responsibilities. Bloomberg reported that Meade's departure was caused by John Ternus's impending appointment as Apple CEO on September 1. Ternus is currently senior vice president of hardware engineering.

OpenAI has been developing AI-powered devices with Jony Ive's startup since 2025.5 billion deal but remains independent. The Information reported earlier this year that Ive's studio is working on a series of AI devices, including a smart speaker expected in 2027.

Previous reports stated Apple will not launch its first smart glasses model until the end of 2027. Apple increased the Vision Pro price to $4,000, and no units of the headset were sold in the past two years.