The designer who unveiled Apple’s iPhone Air has left the company for an artificial intelligence startup, marking another significant departure from the iPhone maker’s design division. Abidur Chowdhury, who spent over six years at Apple and played a key role in developing the ultra-thin iPhone Air, has reportedly joined an unnamed AI firm as per Bloomberg.
His exit comes as Apple’s design group undergoes a sweeping transformation following Jony Ive’s 2019 departure. The update will center on upgrading to a 2-nanometer chip to improve battery performance, the current model’s primary shortcoming, rather than introducing dramatic design changes. Chowdhury’s departure created ripples internally given his rising prominence within the design team. He earned visibility by narrating the iPhone Air’s two-minute design video during Apple’s September launch event—a high-profile assignment reserved for distinguished employees.
CEO Tim Cook now leads Apple’s design team
Apple had anticipated the device would account for 6% to 8% of new iPhone sales, roughly matching the iPhone 16 Plus it replaced. Despite earning design accolades, the $100 savings compared to the iPhone 17 Pro hasn’t swayed buyers who prioritize battery longevity and camera quality. Apple’s design division has experienced accelerating turbulence throughout 2025. Jeff Williams, the longtime chief operating officer who had overseen the design team since 2023, departed last week after decades with the company. Since Ive left in 2019 to establish his design firm LoveFrom—which was later acquired by OpenAI—most veteran designers have either retired or joined competitors, including some who followed Ive to his new venture.
The designer’s exit has nothing to do with the iPhone Air’s underwhelming market performance, Bloomberg reports. In a significant organizational shift, design teams now report directly to CEO Tim Cook, bypassing traditional operational hierarchies, Bloomberg noted. The user interface division under Alan Dye has faced similar upheaval with multiple high-profile departures. It comprises primarily external industry recruits and promoted junior members, representing a near-complete overhaul of the division that once set global design standards and defined Apple’s legendary aesthetic philosophy.
Today’s design team bears little resemblance to the group that created iconic products under Steve Jobs and Ive.