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Apple Loses Another Top Executive to OpenAI
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Apple doesn’t welcome back TRAITORS. The door will be slammed on his face!
CWallace
macrumors G5
Vision Pro is a "flop" because the C-Suite (which is positions like the CEO, CFO, etc.) was not willing or interested to invest the time and money to push it forward faster. Like the Apple TV and the HomePod, I believe Apple's most-senior management looks at it as a "hobby".
So my guess is OpenAI is offering him more money to poach what he knows about Apple's plans for AR products over the next five years.
Apple has been giving significant financial incentives to "core" people. They also promoted Johny Srouji to the C-Suite to ensure he stayed with Apple - something they evidently would not do for Alan Dye, I will note.
I believe it was a surprise, as well, and I think the refusal of Tim and the Board to promote him to a C-Suite level "Chief Design Officer" title when Meta was willing to do so played a major role in his deciding to move over.
Populus
macrumors 604
Well, it’s a shame, because the Apple Vision Pro has many good features. The software interface is fresh and innovative and the experience is good. The problems this device has, is the weight and, especially, the price. Two things that are workable… well, at least until the RAM and storage shortages…
I would have bought an AVP at, say, 1100 or 1200€
But it’s not even available for purchase in my country!
smorrissey
macrumors 68000
I don't know... can the person in charge of Vision Pro really be called a "top" executive?
MartiNZ
macrumors 65816
Certainly an executive of the only product you wear "up top" so I guess in that sense!
JPack
macrumors P6
You see this happen with failing projects all the time. How many exec changes did the Apple Car have? It was like every six months.
This is a vice president leaving, not a small potato. He probably has good insight into the project future before making such a move.
This is a vice president leaving, not a small potato. He probably has good insight into the project future before making such a move.
jonnyb098
macrumors 601
It’s pretty obvious that anyone involved with Apples AR and AI initiatives know the company is rudderless right now. Better to cash in the stock and have fun till retirement.
jonnyb098
macrumors 601
Everything AI is a giant bubble. But why not cash in if you can?
i do not think apple consider avp a flop in any way. they knew it was priced out of wide acceptance. it was a technology preview, it did what it was meant to and then some. if immersive video everywhere didn't catch on that's largely due to rights and access issues... sure they'd like it if it was popular enough to warrant a v2 (not the soc upgrade, a real v2), but pivoting to glasses is clearly the right move in this moment. i think none of this is a surprise internally. the former avp lead is now running Apple AI so clearly they're happy with the progress of that division. both divisions. i'm actually annoyed that what is clearly a dump truck of money (who the f wants to work on an AI device at openai???? i mean really...) has lured so many good engineers away from .
mjs916
macrumors 65816
In liked this comment but I have to say when they unveil The Matrix they will have you.
Stay at Apple for good but likely not amazing money?
Or go to a frontier AI company, to work with the legendary Jony Ive, with some of your remuneration being a stake in said company on the eve of it going IPO for hundreds of billions (if not a trillion plus), thus making you considerably rich if you stick around for a few years?
Or go to a frontier AI company, to work with the legendary Jony Ive, with some of your remuneration being a stake in said company on the eve of it going IPO for hundreds of billions (if not a trillion plus), thus making you considerably rich if you stick around for a few years?
So a useless hardware creator moves to a useless software creator. Makes sense.
No loss then. Vision Pro flopped dramatically and no one wants smart glasses. I as a glasses wearer would never buy them, I would rather have lighter weight glasses I can choose the style off. And I doubt very much I'm alone in that thinking.
1ppl3
macrumors member
I would say he will convert it to Apple “sunglasses” which is more practical and socially friendly
SuperJack
macrumors newbie
Having a camera on your glasses is far too pervy. As for overlaying AR info on your glasses, the best use case I can think of is at a trade show or conference, where you can read the bio of a stranger subtly and approach with an ice breaker. For work purposes. But doing that in the street on any random strangers, also feels pervy.
lol. I love how the media always frames it as “loses” another employee. The media needs conflict to get clicks so I get it but most likely what happened is that the departed employee saw limited career advancement at Apple because of performance or whatever and they left because of it. Of course the old eye popping headlines of offering them millions! Always pops up lol Thst rarely the case especially from OpenAI a company so incredibly desperate for cash.
dumastudetto
macrumors 603
Imagine leaving the world's most innovative and exciting company to join a failing AI company. I hope the renumeration is life-changing.
Piggie
macrumors G3
My Take, If Apple had created exactly the same product as Meta's quest 3.
Exactly the same hardware.
Printed an Apple logo on the front, and integrated it with Mac-OS etc etc.
Despite is being not as impressive a piece of tech.
That price point alone would have made it a GIGANTIC success for Apple, and we'd have millions of devs scrambling to create Apps for it, and companies wanting their products/media etc to run on it.
Exactly the same hardware.
Printed an Apple logo on the front, and integrated it with Mac-OS etc etc.
Despite is being not as impressive a piece of tech.
That price point alone would have made it a GIGANTIC success for Apple, and we'd have millions of devs scrambling to create Apps for it, and companies wanting their products/media etc to run on it.
Piggie
macrumors G3
I am guessing when you get to a certain level of pay, being given more becomes less important, and how you feel at your job becomes more of a key.
If you love life at a company at the cutting edge and enjoy working on new products that you know will launch, and tried in the world, then working form a place more safe and slowed pace on things that die before launch, may not be what you want from your life.