A chief iPhone and Apple Watch product design executive is set to leave the company and join Jony Ive’s design firm, LoveFrom, to work on AI-first hardware products for OpenAI. Tang Tan, the Vice President of Product Design at Apple, will lead hardware engineering efforts for a secretive artificial intelligence hardware project at LoveFrom in collaboration with OpenAI. OpenAI will provide the software foundation for the device.
Tan played a key role in the product design of the Apple Watch and iPhone, including accessories and acoustics design such as AirPods. His departure is seen as a significant setback for Apple’s hardware engineering division, as his team was instrumental in designing crucial features and engineering strategies for various Apple products. Tan’s decisions contributed to the success of products like AirPods and Apple Watch.
While details about OpenAI’s hardware project are still scarce, possibilities include a smart home product. It remains unclear whether OpenAI will pursue this direction or develop a more personal device similar to Humane’s Ai Pin.
In addition to Tan’s departure, there has been an apparent exodus of veteran designers from Apple. As many as 14 industrial designers who previously worked under Jony Ive have left the company since 2019. The report indicates that only six designers from the Ive era still remain at Apple, with more than 20 former Apple employees now employed at LoveFrom. Notable designers who worked on the iPhone and recently left Apple include Patrick Coffman, Colin Burns, and Shota Aoyagi.
As Apple experiences a talent drain, LoveFrom, led by Jony Ive, seems to be attracting former Apple employees, bolstering its team with experienced designers who can contribute to future projects.
Overall, these recent developments highlight significant changes in the design landscape, with Apple losing key talent while LoveFrom gains expertise from former Apple designers. The collaboration between LoveFrom, Tang Tan, and OpenAI promises to deliver innovative AI-focused hardware products, adding an exciting dimension to the evolving tech industry.
