Apple Loses Another Top Executive to OpenAI

At a glance:

• Paul Meade, head of Apple’s Vision Products Group, is departing for OpenAI’s hardware team to work on AI devices.
• Apple is undergoing a leadership shake‑up as John Ternus prepares to become CEO and Johny Srouji moves to chief hardware officer.
• OpenAI previewed its GPT‑5.6 series (Sol, Terra, Luna) and Apple raised prices on HomePod mini, HomePod, and Apple TV.

Executive shift at Apple and move to OpenAI

On Friday June 26, 2026 at 12:46 pm PDT, Bloomberg reported that Paul Meade, who oversees development on the Vision Pro and Apple’s upcoming smart glasses, is leaving Apple for OpenAI. Meade had taken over leadership of Apple’s Vision Products Group when Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell moved to lead Siri’s AI upgrade. Before that, he led the Vision Pro hardware engineering team and earlier worked on the iPad and iPhone teams, having been at Apple since 2010 and in the Vision Products Group since 2017. Meade is set to leave Apple by next week and will join OpenAI’s hardware unit to focus on AI devices. His departure comes amid a broader executive reshuffle at Apple, where John Ternus is being positioned to take over as CEO and Apple’s chip lead Johny Srouji is slated to assume Ternus’s former role as chief hardware officer. The reorganization has reportedly upset several hardware executives who view the changes as a shift away from traditional hardware leadership. To fill the vacancy left by Meade, Fletcher Rothkopf—who heads up product design for the Vision Pro and smart glasses—will assume responsibility for the Vision Products Group. Rothkopf’s background in design and his close involvement with the Vision Pro and smart glasses projects make him a natural successor to oversee the continued development of Apple’s augmented reality hardware.

OpenAI’s hardware ambitions and GPT‑5.6 preview

OpenAI is not only recruiting Apple talent but also advancing its own hardware ambitions. Analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo, in a late‑April report following supply‑chain checks, described an upcoming OpenAI smartphone intended to compete directly with the iPhone, characterizing it as an “AI agent phone” built around a continuous, context‑aware assistant. In parallel, OpenAI launched a limited preview of its GPT‑5.6 series on Friday June 26, 2026 at 11:16 am PDT. The release includes three models:

• Sol, the flagship model touted as OpenAI’s strongest to date with agentic improvements,
• Terra, a balanced everyday work model that delivers performance similar to GPT‑5.5 but at half the price,
• Luna, a fast and affordable model offering strong capability at OpenAI’s lowest price point. These models signal OpenAI’s push to diversify its hardware‑software ecosystem while attracting talent like Meade to work on future AI‑driven devices.

Apple’s price increases across product lines

Apple today dramatically increased device prices across multiple product lines after briefly taking its online store down earlier in the day. The store is back online with a series of price adjustments that affect several accessories and media devices. The specific price changes are as follows:

• HomePod mini: $129, up from $99 (+$30)
• HomePod: $349, up from $299 (+$50)
• Apple TV: $199, up from [previous price not specified in source] In addition to these accessories, Apple noted that price increases also apply to its MacBook and iPad lines, though exact figures for those products were not detailed in the report. The adjustments come as the company seeks to offset rising component costs and maintain margins amid a shifting market landscape.

Former Apple talent now at OpenAI

Beyond Paul Meade, several other high‑profile former Apple employees have already joined OpenAI. Notable among them are:

• Jony Ive, the legendary design chief who left Apple in 2019
• Tang Tan, a longtime hardware engineer who contributed to the iPhone and iPad
• Evans Hankey, who led Apple’s industrial design team after Ive’s departure These veterans bring deep expertise in hardware design, user experience, and manufacturing to OpenAI’s growing hardware division. Their presence underscores the company’s serious intent to build consumer‑facing AI devices that can rival established players like Apple and Meta. The influx of ex‑Apple talent, combined with OpenAI’s recent product launches, suggests a strategic push to establish a competitive hardware footprint in the AI space.