One of the designers behind Apple’s iPhone Air has left the company to take a senior role at a new artificial intelligence startup. Abidur Chowdhury has moved on from Apple and is now leading design at a company called Hawk.
Chowdhury left Apple in November 2025. At the time, reports said he was heading to an AI startup. That company is now confirmed to be Hawk, a firm founded by Brett Adcock, who is also known for running the robotics company Figure AI.
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Hawk and Its Direction
Bloomberg later reported that Hawk is being funded directly by Adcock, who has put in $100 million of his own money. He has said the company is meant to grow alongside Figure AI. While Figure AI focuses on building a general-purpose humanoid robot, Hawk is working on artificial intelligence models.
“The former Apple Inc. designer who helped create the iPhone Air is joining AI startup Hark, part of a push by that company to attract Silicon Valley talent. Apple veteran Abidur Chowdhury will become head of design, according to Hark founder and Chief Executive Officer Brett Adcock, who also runs the robotics startup Figure AI. In its bid to staff up, Hark has lured engineers from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Meta Platforms Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., he said.”
Chowdhury will serve as head of design. Beyond that, the company has not shared details about his specific responsibilities or Hawk’s products. What is clear is that the team is growing fast. Hawk reportedly has about 30 engineers, many from major tech companies, and plans to expand to 100 employees in the first half of 2026.
Chowdhury’s Background at Apple
Chowdhury’s LinkedIn profile still lists him as an Apple design engineer. He studied at Loughborough University in the UK and appears to have joined Apple in 2019 after moving to the United States.
During his time at Apple, he worked on the design of the iPhone Air. He also narrated the launch video for the device, making him a recognizable face for the product.
His move highlights a broader trend. Senior Apple designers are increasingly stepping into leadership roles at fast-growing AI companies. In this case, Chowdhury is shifting from hardware design at one of the world’s largest tech firms to shaping the identity of a new company focused on artificial intelligence.
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