Another Apple Designer Joins Jony Ive to Work on Hardware for OpenAI

Apple's vice president of product design Tang Tan is set to join Sir Jony Ive's LoveFrom to design hardware products for OpenAI, Bloomberg reports.

chatgpt for iphone feature
Tan will become the latest Apple designer to join LoveFrom, a design company founded by Jony Ive after he departed Apple in 2019. A total of 14 members of Ive's former design team at Apple have now left the company. Only around six designers who once reported to Ive still remain at Apple.

Ive took more Apple designers with him to LoveFrom than remain at Apple. To date, more than 20 former Apple employees have joined Ive's new design firm, including Marc Newson and Shota Aoyagi.

Bloomberg says that Ive's work for OpenAI marks one of his "most ambitious efforts" since he left Apple, and he apparently hopes to turn the work into a new company, with current efforts focused on hiring talent and creating concepts.

At Apple, Tang Tan is vice president of product design and reports to senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus. Tan is responsible for the design of the iPhone, Apple Watch, accessories, and acoustic devices like AirPods. News of his departure emerged earlier this month.

Tan will lead hardware engineering on the OpenAI project while working at LoveFrom. Little is known about OpenAI's hardware ambitions, but Bloomberg claims that projects in the concept stage include devices for the home. Tan officially departs Apple in February, but his responsibilities have already been divided up among successors.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

Skiefire Avatar
8 months ago
Well at least the terminators will look good whilst having 1st gen design flaws, terrible signal and be obsolete within 9 months
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
QuarterSwede Avatar
8 months ago

No wonder Apple is struggling with all their new products and stealing patents. All the designers are leaving knowing this ship will sail.
They aren’t leaving because the Apple ship will sail. Apple is a safe bet for job security especially if they’ve learned the corporate politics etc and are comfortable.

They’re probably leaving because they’ve been doing the job for years and want a change. The biggest reason, they have a chance to work with someone they loved working and designing with.

I got a similar chance recently and I’m so glad I took it. Job is great for me stress wise, I see the family more, and I have a chance to make an impact at a smaller company. I also get to work with someone again who is brilliant analytically and takes care of people (a rare combo). It’s a risk but, so far, it’s been worth the change.

I’m now working on the same thing the article is discussing, poaching great people I’ve worked with and want to work with again. So the Jonny angle is that he is pulling in talent because he knows their talent and wants to work with them again too.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t0rqx Avatar
8 months ago
No wonder Apple is struggling with all their new products and stealing patents. All the designers are leaving knowing this ship will sail.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
8 months ago
We'll be able to tell the arrival of real AGI when the designers are fired because GPT can now design its devices better than them.

And maybe the iPhone 25 will be designed by Siri? ;)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0339327 Avatar
8 months ago
People will go to the employer that is best for them and it’s not always about money. Studies have shown that, once someone is paid enough, employees are more likely to stay or leave based on who they’re working with and what the work environment is like, much more than a few extra dollars in their check.

Apple has been losing talent for years and I can’t blame them. It used to be about making the greatest products; now, it’s about making the greatest profits.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RickDEGH Avatar
8 months ago
Terrible company name, but must be doing/providing something that those designers love (no pun intended).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)