Man who once built iPhone is now poaching Apple staff for OpenAI’s hardware dream

Apple

The man who once turned Jony Ive’s sketches into working iPhones is now building a rival team, this time for OpenAI. Tang Tan, a longtime Apple executive who helped shape the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, is leading a recruitment drive that has already lured away dozens of Apple’s top talent.

According to The Information, at least 25 former Apple employees joined OpenAI in 2025 alone, including senior figures in design, engineering, and manufacturing. Some of them had worked for years on Apple’s most iconic products. Now, they’ve crossed over to OpenAI, which is aiming to launch its first consumer hardware by late 2026.

The ChatGPT maker isn’t just hiring people—it’s also tapping into Apple’s supply chain. OpenAI has struck a deal with Luxshare, the same company that assembles iPhones and AirPods, and is in talks with Goertek, which makes parts for AirPods, Apple Watches, and HomePods.

What exactly is OpenAI building? Early reports suggest a family of devices that could range from a screenless smart speaker to AI-powered glasses, wearable pins, and even a digital voice recorder. CEO Sam Altman has said the goal is to create “pocket-sized, contextually aware, screen-free” devices, with the ambitious target of selling 100 million units.

The timing has rattled Apple. The company even canceled an annual meeting in China over concerns that executives could be tempted away by OpenAI’s pitch of “less bureaucracy and more collaboration.”

The rivalry is complicated by the fact that Apple is also a partner—its Siri and iOS features already use OpenAI’s models. Now, the company finds itself in the awkward position of depending on OpenAI’s software while watching its own people defect to the AI startup.

OpenAI’s playbook looks familiar: bring in the best design talent, work with top suppliers, and marry hardware with software. It’s the same strategy that once made Apple untouchable. Whether it will work again—this time against Apple—is the billion-dollar question.