OpenAI has recently successfully hired Paul Meade, the former head of Apple's Vision Products Group (VPG), to join its hardware division, marking another upgrade in OpenAI's strategic layout in AI-native hardware. As a senior executive in Apple's hardware engineering field, Meade led the Apple Vision Pro hardware team for seven years and has been overseeing the development of Apple's first smart glasses (expected to be released by the end of 2027). After joining OpenAI, he will directly participate in the development of the company's upcoming new series of AI devices.

This personnel change comes amid internal management restructuring at Apple. With John Ternus appointed as Apple's next CEO, chip chief Johnny Srouji has taken over all hardware operations and is implementing a reorganization, leading to changes in the reporting structure of several vice presidents. In this context, Meade chose to join OpenAI.

This is not the first time that OpenAI has recruited talent from Apple's core design and engineering teams. Last year, OpenAI announced the establishment of a subsidiary "io" in collaboration with former Apple chief designer Jony Ive and LoveFrom team, focusing on creating AI-native hardware. During this period, it has continuously attracted several former Apple executives and designers. Meade's joining not only brings top-tier experience in spatial computing and wearable hardware development to OpenAI, but also signals that the competition among tech giants in the AI software-hardware integration track is becoming fully intensified.