The Apple Inc. designer who helped develop the iPhone Air — and even starred in its introduction video — has left, marking the latest setback for the company’s design group.

Abidur Chowdhury, an industrial designer, recently departed the iPhone maker for an artificial intelligence startup, according to people familiar with the move. His exit made waves internally, given his rising profile within the design team, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private.

Apple picked Chowdhury to introduce the new iPhone Air during a September event, which featured a roughly 2-minute video about the device’s design process and features. Appearing in Apple’s launch videos is a high-profile assignment: Another September video, introducing the iPhone 17 Pro, was narrated

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