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Apple's iPhone product design executive supposedly enlisted in a new AI-related project

By Polina Kovalakova

Published: Dec 27, 2023, 9:28 AM

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Apple

Tang Tan, Apple’s current iPhone design chief, set to leave the company in February, has supposedly already been invited to join another enterprise. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the product design executive has been enlisted at iconic Apple designer Jony Ive’s LoveFrom.

The enterprise, backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, is allegedly inviting Tan to participate in a new hardware project that seeks to explore and integrate the latest capabilities into new types of devices, supposedly ones that tap into AI and its functionalities.

What exactly is Ive's LoveFrom?

LoveFrom is Ive’s design firm is a creative collective whose alleged purpose is to establish the look and functionalities of new products. In the new project, the enterprise will supposedly rely on Altman to provide the software foundations, while Tan could be leading hardware engineering at the project.

Interestingly enough, Ive’s LoveFrom is rumored to have plenty of former Apple talent onboard. Allegedly, over 20 former employees of the Cupertino-based tech giant are currently part of the iconic designer’s firm. Most recently, Shota Aoyagi is claimed to have joined LoveFrom. While at Apple, he worked as part of Ive’s industrial design team.

Ive is a former Apple employee himself. The iconic designer worked on some of the company’s most successful products, including the iMac, iPad, and iPhone. He joined the company in 1992 and left in 2019 after 27 years as part of the Cupertino-based tech giant. The legendary designer has since indulged in all sorts of projects, with LoveFrom standing out as one of his most ambitious endeavors yet.

The enterprise, which Tan is allegedly joining once he leaves Apple in February, appears to be in its early stages of development. And yet, LoveFrom is claimed to have already courted some high-profile clients, including Airbnb Inc. and Ferrari NV. As Bloomberg points out, the company also had a three-year contract with Apple to provide consulting services, which ended last year.

More high-profile talents bid Apple goodbye

News of the product design executive leaving the Cupertino-based tech giant first broke out at the beginning of December. Although Apple’s Vice President of Product Design isn’t due to leave the company until February, his duties are rumored to have already been transferred among other company members.

Tan is just one of many high-profile talents to leave Apple recently. As Bloomberg points out, Patrick Coffman is another esteemed employee who has left the company. He was a high-profile user interface design leader. Another executive who has apparently decided to step down is Colin Burns. He’s still a Senior Director at Apple who’s allegedly leaving the company in January.

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Polina Kovalakova, a News and Affiliate Content Writer, has nurtured a passion for mobile technology since the era before smartphones. With a history of exploring a variety of devices, her insights into the mobile world are both broad and nuanced. Polina's non-partisan view extends to appreciating nearly every smartphone brand, a reflection of her open-minded approach to technology. Polina is equally passionate about uncovering the best online deals, tirelessly working to ensure her readers snag top-tier tech at unbeatable prices.