Apple Designer Abidur Chowdhury Leaves for AI Startup
Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer behind the iPhone Air and a prominent figure in Apple Inc.’s design team, has exited the company to join an unnamed artificial-intelligence startup. His departure was reported in November 2025 and marks a notable change for Apple’s industrial design division.
Role and Recognition
Chowdhury joined Apple around 2019 and quickly rose through the ranks of its global design team. He gained widespread visibility when he presented the iPhone Air during the company’s September 2025 launch event, a rare honour for a designer. His work helped shape Apple’s latest ultra-slim smartphone model. He now leaves the company amidst a broader pattern of senior design talent exits.
Industry Impact and Significance
The move is viewed as a loss for Apple, particularly at a time when the company is managing leadership transitions within its design organisation. For the AI startup Chowdhury is joining, his arrival signals the growing importance of industrial design in emerging artificial-intelligence hardware and experience platforms. Observers say his departure underscores how talent mobility is influencing where innovation happens across consumer-tech and AI sectors.
