The mind behind iPhone Air leaves Apple for an unknown AI startup

Apple’s design team has seen another notable departure as Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer who unveiled the iPhone Air at Apple’s September event, has left the company for an unnamed artificial intelligence startup, Bloomberg reports.

Chowdhury’s exit highlights a growing trend at Apple, which has been experiencing a steady brain drain across its AI and design divisions. In recent months, several high-profile engineers and researchers have moved to tech giants like Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic, while Apple’s design wing has also seen key figures leave for other ventures, including Jony Ive’s team at io, recently acquired by OpenAI.

Design veterans who have departed include Evans Hankey, who took over as industrial design lead after Ive’s departure, Tang Tan, a 25-year Apple veteran, Cyrus Daniel from the human interface design team, Matt Theobald, who worked nearly two decades in manufacturing design, and Erik de Jong, a partial leader on the Apple Watch design team.

Chowdhury’s move comes amid this wave of departures. Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that his exit was particularly noticeable due to his rising profile within Apple’s design team. The report clarified, however, that his leaving is not related to the iPhone Air’s launch, even though he played a significant role in the product’s development.

At this time, the AI startup Chowdhury has joined remains unnamed, and his LinkedIn profile still lists him as an Apple employee. His departure marks another chapter in Apple’s ongoing struggle to retain top creative talent while the tech giant continues to invest heavily in artificial intelligence initiatives.