Apple’s product design chief Tang Tan is leaving the company to join Jony Ive’s design firm LoveFrom, as reported by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. Tan will be working on a new artificial intelligence hardware project backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, aiming to create devices using deep learning technology. Tan was responsible for designing Apple’s main products and his departure leaves a significant gap. At LoveFrom, Tan will lead hardware design for the new AI project, with Altman providing the underlying software. The products are still in the early concept phases, with a focus on home devices. None of the involved parties have commented on the news. Tan’s departure from Apple was already known, but his destination had not been revealed until now. About 14 members of Ive’s former team have left Apple since 2019, with only a few remaining. Ive worked as a consultant for Apple until 2022, and more than 20 former Apple employees have joined Ive under LoveFrom. Altman was recently fired and rehired by OpenAI, in part due to raising funds for other endeavors, including teaming up with Ive to create AI hardware backed by Softbank, according to a previous Bloomberg report.
Designing AI Hardware: Apple’s iPhone Designer Joins Jony Ive and Sam Altman
