The talent exodus from Apple is not confined to its AI research teams. Though top engineers and AI researchers have started to leave the tech giant to join companies like Meta and OpenAI, its industrial design division has also taken a hit. The most recent person to depart from the company is Abidur Chowdhury, the iPhone Air designer.
Notable members include Evans Hankey, Tang Tan, Cyrus Daniel, Matt Theobald, and Erik de Jong, all in recent months, with many of them now working under Jony Ive’s team at io, now part of OpenAI.
Abidur Chowdhury Leaves Apple
The latest high-profile exit from Apple comes from Abidur Chowdhury, an industrial designer who showcased the iPhone Air during Apple’s September event. Bloomberg reports that Chowdhury has departed to join an undisclosed AI startup.
Sources familiar with the move described it as significant, noting Chowdhury had been steadily rising within Apple’s design team. They emphasized that his departure is unrelated to the iPhone Air launch. Interestingly, his LinkedIn profile still lists Apple as his current employer.
Impact on Apple’s Design Leadership
Chowdhury’s departure highlights the increasing difficulties Apple faces in holding onto its top design talent. With the ongoing loss of industrial designers, Apple is in danger of losing not only vital institutional knowledge but also innovation momentum-all the more so in flagship product lines like the iPhone and Apple Watch.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple has a good pipeline of fresh designers, but it takes time to replace experienced leaders like Chowdhury, which might influence the way future devices look and function.
AI Startups Become Common Destinations For Apple Designers
It speaks to a larger trend at Apple: even high-profile, highly influential contributors are increasingly being lured by AI startups and technology ventures promising quicker growth and boundless creative freedom.
The design team’s brain drain could be concerning for Apple. It just means they have a hard time retaining talent across their departments.
Originally published on Tech Times
