In their quest to develop cutting-edge AI hardware, renowned designer” Jony Ive and OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman” have recruited a former employee of Apple Inc. to join their team.
A source close to the situation revealed that Tang Tan, an executive departing from Apple, will be joining Ive’s design business, LoveFrom, as part of the initiative. LoveFrom will influence the appearance and functionality of the new products. According to the anonymous sources, Altman, a prominent figure in AI nowadays, will be providing the necessary software components.
Since leaving Apple in 2019 to create LoveFrom, this project represents one of Ive’s most ambitious endeavors. Famous for his work on Apple’s iMac, iPhone, and iPad, the legendary designer was an associate of Steve Jobs. According to the people, the development of the items is still in its early stages, but his goal is to transform the AI gadget work into a new firm. So far, the main objectives have been to find talented people and come up with ideas.
The source said that Tan, who is now employed at LoveFrom, will be in charge of hardware engineering for the project. The executive is reportedly quitting his position as Apple’s VP of product design for watches and iPhones. His duties have already been assigned, although he is expected to leave in February.
Altman, who was abruptly removed as CEO of OpenAI in November and then restored, irritated a few board members by seeking donations for other projects. According to a November News story that also encompassed the collaboration with Ive. Altman had approached Masayoshi Son, chairman of SoftBank Group Corp., with the idea of having Son invest several billion dollars in the startup.
Apple Is Losing Skilled People:
The loss of Tan’s design expertise is a loss for Apple. Roughly fourteen people from Ive’s previous team at Apple have departed since 2019. Just around six designers who worked under Ive’s supervision are still employed by Apple.
Evans Hankey, who replaced Ive, left Apple earlier this year after a relatively short tenure. Due to the brain drain, the corporation was unable to find a clear successor for her. Apple chose to have its COO, Jeff Williams, oversee the design team instead of hiring a new leader.
LoveFrom, on the other hand, counts Airbnb Inc., Ferrari NV, and Moncler SpA among its notable customers. Additionally, the firm’s consultancy services for Apple came to an end in 2022 after three years of agreement. Over twenty people who had previously worked with Apple are now part of the design firm.
Lately, the departures from Apple have persisted. Apple lost a major player in user interface design when Patrick Coffman departed. Colin Burns, who joined Apple following Ive’s resignation as “a design executive at the British Broadcasting Corp.” will be leaving in January. He is in charge of the Interaction Architecture group at Apple, which investigates potential software and hardware features at an early stage.
Shota Aoyagi was also a part of Ive’s legendary Apple industrial design team that left. He is new to LoveFrom.
