Silicon Valley’s intensifying battle for elite artificial intelligence and product design talent has claimed another high-profile name. Abidur Chowdhury, one of the industrial designers closely involved in Apple’s recent iPhone Air launch, has officially joined a newly formed AI startup called Hark—a move that is sending shockwaves through the technology industry.
The departure, first reported by Bloomberg, confirms months of speculation after Chowdhury quietly exited Apple earlier this year. While it was known that he had left to pursue an opportunity in artificial intelligence, the identity of his next employer remained a mystery—until now.
Hark, founded by prominent tech entrepreneur Brett Adcock, is less than a few months old but already operating with unusually deep pockets, elite hires, and ambitious plans. With Chowdhury now part of the company, Hark has gained one of the most respected product design minds in consumer technology.
The move highlights a powerful trend reshaping the industry: even the most established tech giants are struggling to retain top talent as AI startups offer the promise of building something transformative from the ground up.
Who Is Abidur Chowdhury?
Abidur Chowdhury was not just another designer inside Apple. He was part of the small, highly selective industrial design group that plays a critical role in shaping how Apple products look, feel, and interact with the world.
This team is responsible for more than just aesthetics. Apple’s industrial designers help define the identity of products used by billions of people. The recent iPhone Air, which debuted to global attention, represented one of Apple’s most important product refreshes in years—and Chowdhury was involved in its development.
Leaving Apple from such a position is no small decision. Designers at this level enjoy rare influence, job security, and access to enormous resources. For someone in that role to leave suggests a powerful draw from outside forces—particularly from AI startups promising to redefine the future.
Meet Hark: A Startup With Big Ambitions
Hark is not just another AI startup chasing hype. It was founded by Brett Adcock, a serial entrepreneur best known as the CEO of Figure AI, a company building humanoid robots designed to operate in real-world environments.
Adcock is not stepping away from Figure AI to run Hark. Instead, he plans to lead both companies simultaneously—an uncommon but telling decision that indicates how seriously he views this new venture.
What makes Hark particularly striking is its financial foundation. According to internal documents obtained by The Information, Adcock personally invested $100 million of his own money into Hark as seed funding. This is not venture capital—it is private wealth being placed on a bold vision.
That level of personal financial commitment suggests extraordinary confidence in what Hark aims to build.
What Is Hark Actually Working On?
Despite the attention surrounding the company, Hark has revealed almost nothing publicly about its product.
However, an internal memo sheds some light. The startup describes its goal as building “human-centric” artificial intelligence systems designed to be:
- Proactive rather than reactive
- Self-improving through recursive learning
- Deeply aligned with human needs and values
That last point—focusing on caring about people—sets Hark apart from many AI ventures that prioritize speed, scale, or automation over human alignment.
The company is positioning itself not just as another AI lab, but as a builder of systems meant to coexist with people in meaningful, supportive ways.
Hark’s Computing Power Is Already Live
Another notable detail from the internal memo is that Hark’s first cluster of graphics processing units (GPUs) has already gone live.
GPUs are the backbone of modern AI. They are required to train large language models, generative systems, and complex neural networks. The fact that Hark already has its computing infrastructure operational means the company has moved quickly from concept to execution.
Although the exact size of the cluster was not disclosed, launching GPU operations so early signals serious intent.
This is not a startup still sketching ideas on a whiteboard—it is already running large-scale AI workloads.
Elite Engineers Are Flocking to Hark
Chowdhury is not joining an empty team.
When Hark was launched just weeks ago, it already employed 30 engineers, many recruited from the most powerful technology companies in the world. According to Bloomberg, hires have come from:
- Meta
- Amazon
These are firms known for massive compensation packages and cutting-edge research. Convincing their employees to leave requires more than just money—it requires belief in a mission.
Hark reportedly plans to grow its engineering team to 100 people within the first half of this year, an aggressive expansion for a company still in stealth mode.
This rapid hiring signals a startup racing to establish itself before the AI arms race grows even more crowded.
Why Apple’s Loss Matters
Chowdhury’s departure adds to a growing list of high-level Apple employees leaving for AI ventures.
Apple has long been known for its ability to retain top designers and engineers. Its culture, brand prestige, and financial strength traditionally made it difficult for startups to compete for its people.
But the AI boom has changed the equation.
Engineers and designers increasingly want to work on technologies that could redefine entire industries. AI startups promise a chance to influence the future directly, without the bureaucracy of large corporations.
For Apple, losing someone tied to a flagship product launch like the iPhone Air is a reminder that even the biggest companies are vulnerable in today’s talent market.
The Bigger Picture: Silicon Valley’s Talent War
The tech industry is experiencing one of the most intense hiring battles in its history.
AI is no longer a niche—it is a foundational technology shaping everything from software and robotics to healthcare and manufacturing. Startups backed by billions of dollars are competing directly with companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft for the same elite talent.
Hark’s emergence fits this pattern. With massive funding, top-tier leadership, and a compelling mission, it represents the new generation of AI companies willing to challenge the giants.
Why Designers Matter in AI
Chowdhury’s move is particularly interesting because he is not just an engineer—he is a designer.
As AI becomes embedded in everyday products, design is becoming just as important as algorithms. How users interact with AI systems, trust them, and understand them will define whether these technologies succeed.
By hiring someone who helped shape one of the world’s most iconic smartphones, Hark is signaling that it wants to build AI systems that feel intuitive, elegant, and human-friendly.
That could give it a significant edge in a market often dominated by purely technical approaches.
Brett Adcock’s Track Record
Brett Adcock is no stranger to high-risk, high-reward ventures. As CEO of Figure AI, he has already positioned himself at the frontier of humanoid robotics—a field that merges AI with physical machines.
Running both Figure AI and Hark suggests a broader strategy: creating intelligent systems that exist both in software and in the physical world.
While it remains unclear how closely the two companies will collaborate, the overlap in vision hints at a future where human-centric AI could power everything from robots to digital assistants.
A Startup Wrapped in Mystery
For now, Hark remains largely in stealth mode. There is no public product, no detailed roadmap, and no official website explaining what it is building.
But in Silicon Valley, mystery often breeds excitement.
With a $100 million war chest, elite hires, and high-profile defections from Apple and other tech giants, Hark has already become one of the most closely watched AI startups of the year.
The question is no longer whether it will produce something—but whether what it produces will live up to the expectations it has created.
What Comes Next?
The arrival of Abidur Chowdhury gives Hark a powerful blend of design excellence and technological ambition.
If the company succeeds, it could become one of the defining AI firms of the next decade. If it fails, it will still serve as a symbol of how far the AI talent war has gone—even Apple’s most trusted designers are willing to leave for the right vision.
For now, the industry waits.
One thing is clear: Hark is no ordinary startup, and its story is only just beginning.