As per Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Tang Tan, the head of product architecture at Apple, is departing the company to join Jony Ive at the design firm LoveFrom, marking another significant departure of talent from Apple. Tan is expected to spearhead a new artificial intelligence technology venture at LoveFrom, backed by Sam Altman from OpenAI, focusing on leveraging cutting-edge deep learning systems.
Tan’s exit leaves a notable void as he played a pivotal role in the design of Apple’s key products like the iPhone, Watch, and AirPods. At LoveFrom, Tan is likely to oversee the hardware design aspect of the new AI project, while Altman will contribute to the software development. The projects are reportedly still in their early stages, with a particular emphasis on smart home devices. Apple, OpenAI, and LoveFrom have refrained from providing any official statements on this development.
While Tan’s departure was anticipated, his destination was previously undisclosed. Earlier this year, Evans Hankey, Jony Ive’s protege, also left Apple after a short stint as the head of solution design. The exodus from Ive’s team at Apple has been notable, with only a handful of members remaining out of the original 14, as over 20 former Apple employees have transitioned to LoveFrom, where Ive has been consulting until 2022.
In a recent turn of events, Altman was ousted from OpenAI, reportedly due to his involvement in fundraising for multiple projects. A previous Bloomberg article hinted at Altman’s collaboration with Ive on AI technology, supported by Softbank, among other initiatives.
