Apple's star designer is reported to have resigned and moved to a new AI startup.

The designer who was involved in the development of the iPhone Air at Apple has reportedly left the company, signaling the latest setback for the company's design team. According to sources familiar with the matter, industrial designer Abidur Chowdhury recently left Apple to join a new AI startup. Given his increasingly important role in the design team, his departure has caused quite a stir within Apple. As this is an internal matter, the sources requested anonymity. Apple chose Chowdhury to introduce the new iPhone Air at an event in September, which included a roughly 2-minute video showcasing the design process and features. Another highly anticipated task in an Apple release video was the introduction of the iPhone 17 Pro in September, which was narrated by the new head of the company's design team, Molly Anderson. Chowdhury had been with Apple for over six years. He joined Apple in 2019, around the same time as the famous design director Jony Ive left the company.