iPhone Air designer leaves Apple
According to a report (subscription required), Chowdhury’s departure was not seen coming. He had been rising in the ranks amongst the design team at Apple, and was likely headed for a much more prominent role at the company in the coming years.Chowdhury had apparently worked extensively on developing the iPhone Air. He has left Apple for an AI startup, making him yet another loss that the company has suffered at the hands of AI-focused companies recently.
Chowdhury’s critical role with the iPhone Air
Abidur Chowdhury narrated the introduction of the iPhone Air. | Image credit — Apple
Going against tradition, Apple chose Chowdhury this year to narrate the introduction of the iPhone Air instead of an executive, before Ternus took over to go into more detail. Chowdhury’s critical role during the Apple event clearly signified that the company considers him a valuable asset.
Abidur Chowdhury himself has never loudly advertised his work at Apple. This was the first time that he had been handed such a major role to play. To leave Apple after such a moment means one of two things:
- He doesn’t see a future for Apple’s vision
- Or, he found a much better offer for his talents
AI over the iPhone Air?
It’s no secret, far from it, that AI is the hottest trending topic across the tech industry nowadays. Many high-profile Apple employees have recently left the company for greener pastures: places that have a much better grasp over AI. Given Apple’s troubles with Siri, it’s no wonder.But Chowdhury wasn’t working on Siri. At least, not to the knowledge of anyone who’s spoken up about his departure. If I had to take a guess, I think that he saw a stronger future for AI than the iPhone Air, and left while he still could.
Good for him, probably, but not so good for Apple, which has been losing talent at an exponential rate.
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