A short while back, Mark Gurman from *Bloomberg* revealed that OpenAI had been actively recruiting Apple hardware engineers. A recent article in the WSJ now sheds more light on these departures. While the departures of well-known figures like Jeff Williams, Alan Dye, and John Giannandrea have grabbed attention lately, Apple is facing a broader wave of talent loss to Meta and OpenAI.

Gurman mentioned in his Power On newsletter a few weeks ago that OpenAI was attracting employees from Apple’s hardware engineering group. He noted that Jony Ive’s post-Apple design studio, LoveFrom, largely consists of former Apple employees. This trend has led to significant turnover in Apple’s design team. OpenAI’s acquisition of Ive’s AI startup, io, for $6 billion has further fueled the exodus from Apple’s hardware engineering group.

According to reports, OpenAI has recently recruited over 40 individuals for its devices group, with many being former Apple engineers. A new article by *The Wall Street Journal* provides more insight into these departures by highlighting that numerous Apple engineers and designers specializing in audio, watch design, robotics, and other areas have joined OpenAI in recent months.

While it is not surprising given the little information available about io’s upcoming products, this report hints at what these products might entail. Altman and Ive have expressed their intention to offer a range of products rather than a single AI device and have clarified that their initial device is not a wearable.

OpenAI has reportedly been hiring researchers skilled in developing AI algorithms for controlling humanoid and other robots. Thus, not all departures may be linked to io. It is evident that Apple is facing challenges in retaining talent in the realms of research and engineering compared to rival companies in the AI sector.

The recent leadership changes in Apple’s AI division may or may not be sufficient to stem this talent drain over the near future. The outcome remains uncertain.