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

[MacRumors]

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.

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.

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

 

[t0rqx]

No wonder Apple is struggling with all their new products and stealing patents. All the designers are leaving knowing this ship will sail.

 

[RickDEGH]

Terrible company name, but must be doing/providing something that those designers love (no pun intended).

 

[whirldy]

Another Apple Designer LEAVES APPLE and Joins Jony Ive to Work on Hardware for OpenAI.

Tan is responsible for the design of the iPhone, Apple Watch, accessories, and acoustic devices like AirPods.

Tan officially departs Apple in February, but his responsibilities have already been divided up among successors.

🧐 who will create cutting edge technology now?

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Looking forward to seeing what LoveFrom does!

 

[Kazgarth]

I bet 99% that the project will be some form of robotics based on ChatGPT.

 

[Skiefire]

Well at least the terminators will look good whilst having 1st gen design flaws, terrible signal and be obsolete within 9 months

 

[klasma]

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?

 

[I7guy]

Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.

 

[blodyholy]

Can someone please enlighten me as to why OAI needs a look at from a hardware perspective, especially from Ive?

(Edit: I mean from a design POV, which is what Ive brings to the table.)

 

[steve09090]

Can someone please enlighten me as to why OAI needs a look at from a hardware perspective, especially from Ive?

(Edit: I mean from a design POV, which is what Ive brings to the table.)

That’s a really good question. The way I see it, from reading some of Ives' interviews, Lovefrom is about ideas and looking at how people interact with them. It doesn’t have to be a specific hardware product, even though thats what Ive did at Apple.

I found this an interesting read. He talks more about the process of ideas rather than any product or design.Ive brings the company to the table rather than design POV.

‘The creative process is fabulously unpredictable. A great idea cannot be predicted’

In this interview, Jony Ive, the former design head of Apple, discusses what it takes for organizations to allow creativity to grow and thrive.

www.mckinsey.com

Edit: amd I stand corrected. See Klasmas post below.

 

[Steve121178]

Can someone please enlighten me as to why OAI needs a look at from a hardware perspective, especially from Ive?

(Edit: I mean from a design POV, which is what Ive brings to the table.)

It will be some kind of personal tech that allows the user to interact with ChatGPT somehow or has ChatGPT at the core. Whether its some kind of device with a screen or audio only, then who knows...

 

[klasma]

Can someone please enlighten me as to why OAI needs a look at from a hardware perspective, especially from Ive?

Jony Ive and OpenAI want to create the ‘iPhone’ of AI

Not that they’ve settled on what that actually means yet.

www.theverge.com

 

[steve09090]

Jony Ive and OpenAI want to create the ‘iPhone’ of AI

Not that they’ve settled on what that actually means yet.

www.theverge.com

Wow!

 

[Pitogyro]

2 things:

LoveFrom has been around for several years now and the only thing I recall seeing them do is the logo for King Charles’ coronation.

It’s no surprise most designers have left Apple. They used to work under totally different conditions and had freedom of expression. Now design is being dictated by accountants. Just read “After Steve” by Tripp Mickle.

 

[MacProFCP]

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.

 

[Rogifan]

I did a quick patent search and this employee is listed on nearly 1,400 Apple patents and most of them are utility patents not design patents.

 

[Rogifan]

It will be some kind of personal tech that allows the user to interact with ChatGPT somehow or has ChatGPT at the core. Whether its some kind of device with a screen or audio only, then who knows...

From what I’ve read, OAI said it’s not going to be a smartphone.

 

[Bustycat]

Introducing the revolutionary hardware collaboration between LoveFrom, the visionary design firm led by Jony Ive, and OpenAI—a fusion of innovation that transcends the boundaries of conventional computing. As we embark on this journey of redefining the future, we find ourselves standing at the intersection of elegance and functionality, where the ethos of LoveFrom seamlessly integrates with OpenAI's pursuit of cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

At LoveFrom, our philosophy centers around the relentless pursuit of simplicity and beauty, a design language that resonates with the human spirit. Our latest creation for OpenAI reflects this ethos—an embodiment of precision and purpose. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, the hardware seamlessly marries form and function, transcending the realm of traditional computing devices. Each curve, line, and material has been carefully considered, creating a physical embodiment of the limitless potential that lies within.

The essence of our collaboration is not just a device; it's an experience that transcends the ordinary. This hardware, born from the synergy of LoveFrom's design mastery and OpenAI's technological prowess, is an emblem of the future—a tangible manifestation of the boundless possibilities that arise when design and intelligence converge. It invites users to engage in a dialogue with innovation, a tactile and visual exploration that transcends the limitations of conventional hardware.

In the grand tradition of LoveFrom, this hardware is a testament to the belief that design is not merely about aesthetics; it is a journey of discovery, a quest for the sublime. As we present this groundbreaking creation to the world, we invite you to immerse yourself in the elegance, functionality, and profound beauty that emerges when LoveFrom and OpenAI unite. Together, we have forged a new paradigm, a tangible expression of the limitless potential of design-led artificial intelligence.

 

[Dissonance]

It’s definitely going to be a humanoid robot to compete with Boston Dynamics and Tesla.

 

[QuarterSwede]

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.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Well at least the terminators will look good whilst having 1st gen design flaws, terrible signal and be obsolete within 9 months

We just have to find and destroy them in their charging bay, where they must lay helplessly prone with a cable shoved up what would be their butt.

 

[cutlub]

Genuine question: what product of significance has LoveFrom created?

 

[paulvee]

Time for some new blood at Apple. Good luck and good bye, Jony and your minions. Apple will be just fine, despite the internet's commentariat, who have been predicting your imminent demise for three decades now. The same people who were trashing Ive and his team when they were with Apple are now mourning their exit. <YAWN>

 

[triton100]

They’re making an in ear piece for chat gtp from the film Her.