Head of iPhone design leaves Apple to work with Jony Ive on AI project

Former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman bring Tang Tan, who led the iPhone and Apple Watch design department, to work on a new hardware AI project, reports Bloomberg.

He is expected to work with the tech giant until February. After that, Tang Tan will join Jony Ive’s design firm LoveFrom.

For Apple, this development means a continued outflow of talent. Jony Ive left the company in 2019, although he became internationally known as the chief designer of iMacs, MacBooks, iPods, iPhones, and other Apple devices. He later founded the design studio LoveFrom, which was joined by more than 20 former Apple employees.

In the fall, it became known that Jony Ive and Sam Altman were discussing the creation of a new product based on artificial intelligence. At the time, informed sources said that it was about creating a “new hardware for the age of AI.”

Later, the OpenAI CEO commented on rumors about the potential development of an unknown AI-based product. He said that he has no interest in competing in the smartphone market, particularly with Apple’s iPhone.