Apple’s iPhone Designer Has Joined Jony Ive’s LoveFrom, Will Work With OpenAI CEO Sam Altman On New AI Hardware

wccftech.com:

Apple suffered a major blow in its executive headcount, as the technology giant’s chief iPhone designer, Tang Tan, is reported to have joined Jony Ive’s LoveFrom and work with OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman to work on a brand new device focused on AI. Tan was also responsible for being one of the individuals responsible for designing the Apple Watch, and for the time being, no one has been named as his replacement at Apple.

As reported by Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter stated that Tang Tan and Jony Ive will be responsible for the look and shape of the AI hardware, while Sam Altman will provide all the necessary software expertise. Unfortunately, the exact nature of the product is unknown at this time, though it was previously mentioned that the project had been dubbed as the ‘iPhone of AI,’ with SoftBank providing funding for this endeavor to kick off development into overdrive mode. Unfortunately, Ive’s and Altman’s recruitment process revolves around hiring talent and creating concepts as opposed to getting right in on the action.

This potentially means that it could take years for the entire team to develop the AI-focused product. Aside from the design responsibilities, Tan is also said to lead the hardware engineering division while employed at LoveFrom, but the former Apple executive is not expected to depart from the California-based firm until February. However, Tan’s responsibilities were already said to have been divided this month, hinting that Apple might have shortlisted his replacement already, though the reason for his departure is not mentioned in the report.

Current concepts being discussed and brainstormed at LoveFrom include devices for the home, possibly similar to the HomePod, but again,