The steady exodus of talent from Apple’s fabled industrial design team continues. Abidur Chowdhury, the designer who became the public face of the ultra-thin iPhone Air just two months ago, has left the company.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Chowdhury has departed Cupertino to join an unnamed artificial intelligence startup. The move has reportedly “made waves” internally, not just because of the departure itself, but because Chowdhury was widely viewed as a rising star within a division that has been struggling to retain its identity in a post-Jony Ive era.

For those who watched Apple’s September event, Chowdhury is a familiar face. In a break from the company’s tradition of reserving stage time for senior executives, the relatively young designer narrated a prominent two-minute film detailing the creation of the iPhone Air.

He spoke passionately about the device’s “impossibly thin” 5.6mm chassis and the “plateau” camera system—features that defined the most radical redesign of the iPhone in years.

Chowdhury joined Apple’s industrial design team in 2019, a pivotal year that marked the departure of legendary design chief Jony Ive. While most of the “old guard” who defined the Steve Jobs era have since moved on, Chowdhury represented a new generation of talent tasked with carrying the torch. His swift rise to prominence—culminating in his role as the presenter of a flagship product—signaled that Apple was ready to highlight new voices.

His exit, however, cuts that narrative short.

Sales struggles and “brain drain”

Chowdhury’s departure comes amidst a mixed reception for the device he helped champion. While the iPhone Air was critically acclaimed for its aesthetics and hand-feel, it has faced disappointing commercial performance.

Priced at $999—just $100 shy of the feature-rich iPhone 17 Pro—the Air has struggled to find its audience. Customers have reportedly been hesitant to sacrifice battery life and a telephoto camera solely for a thinner profile. Reports indicate the device accounts for only 6% to 8% of new iPhone sales, roughly tracking with the lower-volume “Plus” models it replaced.

However, sources emphasized to Bloomberg that Chowdhury’s exit is unrelated to the device’s sales figures. Instead, it appears to be part of a broader trend of attrition that has plagued the design team for the last six years.

Since 2019, the tight-knit group that once shared communal tables and brainstormed under Ive’s direction has fractured. Key leaders like Evans Hankey (Ive’s successor) and Tang Tan (VP of Product Design) have left, alongside a slew of veteran designers who defected to Ive’s new firm, LoveFrom, or other competitors.

The team today is reportedly comprised largely of newer recruits and more junior staff, a stark contrast to the veteran-heavy unit that churned out hits for two decades.

A new reporting structure

The timing of Chowdhury’s exit is particularly notable as it coincides with a massive leadership shakeup at the very top of Apple.

Jeff Williams, the company’s longtime Chief Operating Officer who had been overseeing the design team since 2023, retired from Apple last week after a 27-year tenure. Williams was seen as a stabilizing force, bridging the gap between the creative design studio and the pragmatic operations teams.

With Williams gone, Apple is flattening its structure. The design team will now report directly to CEO Tim Cook.

This shift places the design group back under the immediate purview of the CEO for the first time in years, but it also raises questions about mentorship and vision. Without a dedicated design chief or a COO acting as a buffer, the pressure on the remaining designers—now reporting to a CEO with a background in operations—will likely increase.

What’s next?

Despite the turnover, the iPhone Air experiment is not over. Supply chain rumors suggest a second-generation model is on track for 2027, skipping a 2026 refresh to focus on a 2-nanometer chip that could solve the current model’s battery life compromises.

For now, Chowdhury’s move to an AI startup underscores a growing reality in Silicon Valley: the center of gravity for top talent is shifting. Just as the best minds flocked to mobile hardware in the 2010s, they are now migrating toward artificial intelligence, leaving even the giants like Apple to fight harder to keep their brightest stars.