iPhone Air designer Abidur Chowdhury leaves Apple for an AI startup

Apple has lost a rising star in its renowned design team, Abidur Chowdhury, an industrial designer who played a role in the development of the recently launched iPhone Air. Mr. Chowdhury, per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, has left the tech giant to join an artificial intelligence startup, a move that has reportedly “made waves” internally.

Mr. Chowdhury’s prominence was highlighted when Apple selected him to present the design and features of the iPhone Air in a video for its September launch event. This public-facing role is considered a significant acknowledgment of a designer’s influence within the company. He joined Apple in 2019, around the same time as the departure of iconic design chief Jony Ive.

Mr. Chowdhury, per Gurman’s report, was a key contributor to the development of the iPhone Air, a device that has been praised for its design despite facing weaker-than-expected sales. A follow-up version of the iPhone Air is reportedly in the works for 2027.

Mr. Chowdhury’s departure is part of a larger transition within Apple’s design division, which has seen several veteran designers retire or move to other companies, including Ive’s firm, LoveFrom. This shift comes as the design teams now report directly to CEO Tim Cook, following the recent departure of Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who had been overseeing the group. This move is seen as underscoring the continued importance of design to Apple’s future.