Abidur Chowdhury, the man who designed iPhone Air, reportedly left Apple job to…
Chowdhury’s departure adds to a growing list of top designers who have exited Apple over the past few years.
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Apple’s celebrated industrial designer Abidur Chowdhury, the rising talent who introduced the iPhone Air on stage this September, has reportedly left the company for an undisclosed artificial intelligence startup, according to Bloomberg. His exit marks yet another high-profile departure amid Apple’s growing talent drain across both its AI and design divisions.
A rising star in Apple’s design team
Chowdhury joined Apple in 2019 as an Industrial Designer in the company’s prestigious hardware design group. Over the past six years, he worked on several major products, but his most visible moment came this year when he unveiled the iPhone Air, Apple’s new ultra-thin, titanium-framed iPhone priced at ₹1,19,900 for the 256GB variant.
During the keynote, Chowdhury said Apple wanted to “make an iPhone that feels like a piece of the future,” highlighting the company's push toward radically slimmer but more durable designs.
Internally, he was considered one of the emerging voices in Apple’s next-generation design era following Jony Ive’s departure. Bloomberg reports that his exit “made waves” inside the company because of his rising influence and growing responsibilities within the design studio.
Another major departure from Apple’s shrinking design bench
Chowdhury’s departure adds to a growing list of top designers who have exited Apple over the past few years, many of whom have since joined Jony Ive’s design firm, now owned by OpenAI.
While Chowdhury’s next destination remains undisclosed, Bloomberg notes he has joined an AI startup, a move increasingly common among Apple veterans lured by the industry's rapid growth.
Who is Abidur Chowdhury?
Born and raised in London, Chowdhury built his early reputation as an award-winning product designer long before joining Apple. He earned his degree in Product Design & Technology from Loughborough University and picked up prestigious recognitions including: Red Dot Design Award (2016), James Dyson Foundation Bursary, 3D Hubs Student Grant and Kenwood Appliances Award.
Before Apple, he worked at UK-based design consultancies Cambridge Consultants, Curventa, and Layer. He also ran his own design studio, consulting for agencies, startups, and tech companies.
Apple yet to comment
Apple has not publicly addressed Chowdhury’s exit. His LinkedIn profile continues to list Apple as his employer, and the identity of the AI startup he has joined remains under wraps.
But one thing is clear: as Apple prepares for its next wave of AI-driven devices, losing a designer who helped shape its most futuristic iPhone yet comes at a sensitive moment.
