TL;DR
Bloomberg reports that Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer who introduced the iPhone Air, left Apple to join Hark, a newly formed AI startup led by Brett Adcock. Hark, reportedly backed by $100 million of Adcock’s personal capital, is hiring aggressively and says it will build "human-centric" AI, though product details remain unclear.
What happened
Two months after earlier reports of his departure, Bloomberg identified Abidur Chowdhury as the Apple industrial designer who has moved to a newly founded AI startup called Hark. The company is led by Brett Adcock, who will continue as CEO of Figure AI while launching Hark. A memo seen by The Information and cited in reporting indicates Hark began operations only weeks earlier with about $100 million in funding from Adcock’s personal capital. The startup says it is focused on developing "human-centric" AI and has already brought a first cluster of GPUs online, though the scale of that hardware was not disclosed. Bloomberg also reports Hark has recruited dozens of engineers from major tech firms and is targeting roughly 100 hires in the first half of the year. Publications note that it is not yet clear what specific products or roles Chowdhury will have at Hark.
Why it matters
- A high-profile design hire from Apple underscores intense competition for talent between legacy tech firms and well-funded AI startups.
- Substantial personal funding and rapid hiring could position Hark as a significant new entrant if it translates resources into products.
- Hark’s stated focus on "human-centric" AI raises questions about whether it will prioritize hardware, software, or integrated systems.
- The lack of public product details leaves uncertain how Hark’s strategy will differ from prior AI-hardware efforts that struggled commercially.
Key facts
- Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer who introduced the iPhone Air at Apple’s September event, has left Apple to join Hark.
- Hark is led by Brett Adcock, who will remain CEO of Figure AI while overseeing the new startup.
- A memo reported by The Information says Hark launched weeks before reporting and has about $100 million in funding from Adcock’s personal capital.
- Hark says its initial GPU cluster went online, but the exact size and capacity of that cluster were not disclosed.
- Bloomberg reports Hark has recruited dozens of engineers from Google, Meta, and Amazon and aims to reach 100 employees in the first half of the year.
- Reports describe Hark’s mission as building "human-centric" AI that can "think proactively" and "recursively improve," per the memo.
- Coverage notes it is not yet clear what specific work Chowdhury will perform at Hark.
- Observers point to prior AI-hardware projects (Humane, Rabbit, Limitless, Bee) that failed to gain lasting public traction or were acquired.
What to watch next
- Whether Hark publishes concrete product plans or clarifies what "human-centric" AI will mean in practice — not confirmed in the source.
- How Abidur Chowdhury’s role and responsibilities at Hark are defined publicly — not confirmed in the source.
- Hark’s hiring progress toward its goal of about 100 employees in the first half of the year (this hiring target was reported in the source) and any details on the GPU cluster's scale — cluster size not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Human-centric AI: An approach to AI that emphasizes systems designed around human needs, behaviors, and values rather than solely technical benchmarks.
- GPU cluster: A group of graphics processing units working together to accelerate compute-heavy tasks, commonly used for training large AI models.
- Industrial designer: A professional who creates and refines the physical form and user experience of products, balancing aesthetics, usability, and manufacturability.
- Startup funding: Capital provided to a new company to support product development, hiring, and operations; sources include personal investment, venture capital, and other backers.
Reader FAQ
Who left Apple for Hark?
Abidur Chowdhury, the industrial designer who presented the iPhone Air, reportedly left Apple to join Hark.
Who is behind Hark?
Hark is led by Brett Adcock, who is also reported to remain CEO of Figure AI.
How much funding does Hark have?
A memo cited in coverage says Hark was launched with about $100 million in funding from Brett Adcock's personal capital.
What will Chowdhury build at Hark?
Not confirmed in the source.
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Sources
- Mystery AI lab that poached iPhone Air designer revealed
- Apple's iPhone Air Designer Leaves for AI Startup Hark
- iPhone Air designer joins Hawk AI startup
- Apple Designer Behind iPhone Air Is Joining the AI Startup …
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