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Caitlin Kalinowski

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Caitlin Kalinowski is an American mechanical engineer and hardware executive who worked on virtual reality and augmented reality hardware at Oculus VR and Meta Platforms from 2014 to 2024. She headed product design engineering for the original Oculus Rift and Oculus Touch controllers, later led the VR hardware team through the Oculus Go, Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2, and from March 2022 to July 2024 headed Meta's AR glasses hardware team, which built the Orion prototype.[1][2][3]

Before Oculus she worked at Apple from 2005 to 2013, where she was a technical lead on the Mac Pro and MacBook Air.[1] In November 2024 she joined OpenAI to lead its robotics and consumer hardware work, and she resigned in March 2026 over the company's agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense.[4][5] In August 2026 The Information and CNBC reported that she had joined Anthropic.[6][7] She has been a director of Axon Enterprise since 2019.[1]

Reviewed 11 October 2026. Checked career dates, titles, product roles, quotes, the OpenAI hire and resignation, the reported Anthropic hire and Axon board status against the Axon SEC filings, Wogrammer, First Round Review, Design World, Meta, Fast Company, Business Insider, UploadVR, TechCrunch, CNBC, NPR, The Information and her website. About review dates.

Early life and education

Kalinowski grew up in New Hampshire, and Meta's engineering blog describes her as hailing from Portsmouth.[8][9] In a 2021 interview with Design World she said that both of her parents were academics outside STEM fields and said that stories from her stepfather, an experimental physicist, about his lab at Stanford inspired her to look into STEM.[8]

She studied product design at Stanford University. According to a 2015 profile by the women-in-engineering group Wogrammer, she left Stanford after three years to work at the startup OQO on its ultra-mobile "handtop" PC, then moved to Apple, where she finished her degree while working half-time.[10] She received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Stanford in 2007.[8][11]

Career

Apple

Axon's 2026 proxy statement lists Kalinowski as a product design engineer at Apple from October 2005 to January 2013, a technical lead on the Mac Pro and MacBook Air, and a member of the original unibody MacBook Pro team.[1] The Wogrammer profile says she was thermal lead for the MacBook Pro and then led the design and manufacturing method for the MacBook Air's bottom covers.[10] Speaking to Design World, she described using a fine stamping process on those enclosure parts, in place of a forged and CNC-machined perimeter, to tighten the gap between the bottom and top covers of Apple's laptops; she called her leadership on the Mac Pro the most impactful technical work of her Apple years.[8] According to her website, she holds hardware patents from both Apple and Meta.[12]

Facebook and Oculus

Kalinowski joined Facebook in February 2013.[1] There she led and shipped Facebook's Bluetooth Beacons, which provided location-based prompts to people visiting local businesses.[13][10] After Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014, she moved to Oculus in December 2014 as head of product design engineering.[10][13][14]

Her first major Oculus project was the Oculus Touch controller pair for the consumer Rift. According to First Round Review, her team worked with the industrial designers led by Peter Bristol and set out to fit hands from the fifth percentile of women to the 95th percentile of men, while making sure the grip did not block the infrared LEDs tracked by the external sensor. Early prototypes were sometimes no more than a plastic tube with putty attached. The team iterated until the ring-shaped design needed only a change to the outer ring's diameter at the engineering validation test (EVT) stage.[13] In the 2015 Wogrammer profile, Kalinowski named Touch as the work she was most proud of.[10] She also told First Round Review that Oculus would not ship the Rift unless it delivered a sense of presence and fit a wide range of adult faces comfortably.[13]

At Oculus Connect 2 in September 2015 she and Stephanie Lue, both of Oculus, gave the session Shipping Hardware: The Evolution of the Rift, about the hardware design decisions behind the consumer Rift.[15] In Meta's 2021 retrospective on five years of consumer VR, she credited Bristol's industrial design team with turning the Crescent Bay prototype into the consumer Rift, and said that "almost all VR since then has been derivative of Rift CV1 in some way."[14]

In June 2018 Business Insider ranked her No. 31 on its list of the most powerful female engineers. It described her as interim head of hardware at Oculus.[16] When Axon announced her board appointment in August 2019, it gave her title as Head of VR Hardware for Facebook's AR/VR division, responsible for the product design and engineering of devices including the Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S.[11] Her own website says she led VR hardware for the Quest 2, Quest, Go, Rift S, and the original Oculus Rift and Touch controllers.[12] A 2021 Design World profile described her as Hardware Director for the Oculus VR products of Facebook Reality Labs, including the Quest 2, Quest, Go and Rift.[8] UploadVR, reporting in 2024, listed the Rift, Touch, Go, Rift S, Quest, Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro among the products she oversaw as head of VR hardware.[2]

The table below lists the consumer devices that these sources connect to her VR hardware work.

Device Release (per Meta) Her role as described by sources
Oculus Rift March 2016[14] Head of product design engineering[13][12]
Oculus Touch December 2016[14] Led the product design engineering team that developed the controllers[13][10]
Oculus Go May 2018[14] Led VR hardware; Hardware Director[12][8]
Oculus Rift S May 2019[14] Product design and engineering[11]
Oculus Quest May 2019[14] Product design and engineering[11]
Oculus Quest 2 October 2020[14] Led VR hardware; Hardware Director[12][8]

Meta AR glasses and Orion

Kalinowski moved to Meta's AR team in March 2022 to work on the glasses then code-named Project Nazare.[17][3] Axon's proxy statement dates her time as head of the AR Glasses Hardware team at Meta's Reality Labs from March 2022 to July 2024.[1] In a 2022 Fast Company profile she listed some of the problems the team faced: designing an interface that works with both the device and the real world, keeping displays bright without overheating, and aligning the overlapping left and right images for binocular viewing.[17] Meta's engineering blog, introducing a 2023 interview with her, said the hardware had to be smaller and lighter than the VR headsets she had worked on while being similarly powerful.[9]

In an April 2024 interview with Android Central, as reported by UploadVR, she said Meta's AR glasses produced the same "Oh my God, wow! I can't believe this!" reaction as the original Oculus Rift, and described them as offering "high field of view immersion".[2] CNBC reported that she spent nearly two and a half years as a hardware executive leading the creation of Orion, formerly Project Nazare, which Meta unveiled as a prototype at its 2024 Connect conference.[4][3]

OpenAI

On 4 November 2024 Kalinowski announced that she was joining OpenAI to lead robotics and consumer hardware, writing that she would "initially focus on OpenAI's robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world". OpenAI confirmed the hire to TechCrunch.[3][4] Axon's proxy statement describes the position as Member of Technical Staff focused on AI and robotics, from November 2024 to March 2026.[1]

On 7 March 2026 she announced her resignation, saying that "surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got." She called the decision "about principle, not people" and described the problem as "a governance concern first and foremost". An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed her departure.[5][18] NPR reported that she said she remained "very focused on building responsible physical AI."[18]

Later work

In May 2026 she appeared on Lenny's Podcast in an episode that its description says covers supply chain vulnerabilities, "why consumer VR failed", what she learned building products at Apple, Meta and OpenAI, and why she left OpenAI.[19] On 11 August 2026 The Information reported that, according to her LinkedIn profile, she had joined Anthropic as a member of technical staff working on research.[6] Later that month CNBC wrote that Anthropic, which was building a silicon team to design custom chips, had recently hired her, according to LinkedIn.[7]

Board work and recognition

Axon, which describes itself as a provider of connected public safety technologies, appointed Kalinowski to its board effective 23 August 2019. Chief executive Rick Smith said she would contribute to the company's VR strategy for public safety, in particular through the development of empathy-based VR training for law enforcement.[11] In a 2021 Axon interview she said its VR modules covered encounters with people experiencing conditions such as depression, schizophrenia and dementia.[20] The 2026 proxy statement lists her on the Audit Committee and as chair of the Enterprise Risk and Compliance Committee, and also notes that she is a director at the Institute of Contemporary Art in San Francisco and on the strategic board of Lesbians Who Tech & Allies.[1] Shareholders re-elected her to a one-year term at Axon's annual meeting on 28 May 2026.[21] Business Insider noted that she has also served on the board of Wogrammer.[16]

Fast Company placed her fifth on its third annual Queer 50 list in 2022.[17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Axon Enterprise, Inc. 2026 Proxy Statement (Form DEF 14A)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Axon Enterprise, Inc.. 2026-04-16. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1069183/000162828026025521/axon-20260416.htm. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 David Heaney (2024-04-26). "Meta's Head Of AR Glasses Hardware Claims They're As Mindblowing As The Original Oculus Rift". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-ar-glasses-lead-claims-as-mindblowing-as-original-rift/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Maxwell Zeff (2024-11-04). "Meta's former hardware lead for Orion is joining OpenAI". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/04/metas-former-hardware-lead-for-orion-is-joining-openai/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hayden Field (2024-11-05). "OpenAI hires Meta's former Orion head to lead its robotics efforts". CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/05/openai-hires-metas-former-orion-head-to-lead-its-robotics-efforts.html. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Anthony Ha (2026-03-07). "OpenAI hardware exec Caitlin Kalinowski quits in response to Pentagon deal". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/07/openai-robotics-lead-caitlin-kalinowski-quits-in-response-to-pentagon-deal/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rocket Drew (2026-08-11). "Exclusive: Former OpenAI Robotics Lead Joins Anthropic". The Information. https://www.theinformation.com/briefings/exclusive-former-openai-robotics-lead-joins-anthropic. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ashley Capoot (2026-08-27). "Anthropic pushes into physical world with new standard to help AI agents operate machines". CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/27/anthropic-pushes-into-physical-world-with-new-standard-to-help-ai-agents-operate-machines.html. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Paul Heney (2021-09-02). "Caitlin Kalinowski - A problem solver extraordinaire". Design World. https://www.designworldonline.com/caitlin-kalinowski-a-problem-solver-extraordinaire/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Meta's head of AR hardware on the future of AR". Engineering at Meta. Meta. 2023-02-24. https://engineering.fb.com/2023/02/24/virtual-reality/ar-vr-meta-caitlin-kalinowski/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Wogrammer (2015-08-17). "Caitlin Kalinowski". Ladies Storm Hackathons (Medium). https://medium.com/ladies-storm-hackathons/caitlin-kalinowski-head-of-product-design-oculus-vr-c3fbf27986bf. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 "Axon Appoints Facebook's Head of VR Hardware Caitlin Kalinowski to Board of Directors (Exhibit 99.1, Form 8-K)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Axon Enterprise, Inc.. 2019-08-28. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1069183/000106918319000116/bodpressrelease82819.htm. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Caitlin Kalinowski. "About Caitlin Kalinowski". caitlinkalinowski.com. https://www.caitlinkalinowski.com/biography. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 First Round Staff (2017-02-22). "Six Steps to Superior Product Prototyping: Lessons from an Apple and Oculus Engineer". First Round Review. https://review.firstround.com/six-steps-to-superior-product-prototyping-lessons-from-an-apple-and-oculus-engineer/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 "Five Years of VR: A Look at the Greatest Moments from Oculus". Meta Newsroom. Meta. 2021-03-29. https://about.fb.com/news/2021/03/five-years-of-vr-a-look-at-the-greatest-moments-from-oculus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  15. ↑ Meta VR (2015-11-04). "Oculus Connect 2: Shipping Hardware: The Evolution of the Rift". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wml-yZqnQ8U. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Julie Bort, Rachel Sandler (2018-06-21). "The most powerful female engineers of 2018". Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-powerful-female-engineers-of-2018-2018-4. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Jessica Klein (2022-06-08). "Caitlin Kalinowski is shaping the metaverse". Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90753691/caitlin-kalinowski-is-shaping-the-metaverse. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Willem Marx (2026-03-08). "OpenAI robotics leader resigns over concerns about Pentagon AI deal". NPR. https://www.npr.org/2026/03/08/nx-s1-5741779/openai-resigns-ai-pentagon-guardrails-military. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  19. ↑ Lenny Rachitsky (2026-05-17). "Why we're at the beginning of the AI hardware boom - Caitlin Kalinowski (ex-OpenAI, Meta, Apple)". Lenny's Newsletter. https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/why-were-at-the-beginning-of-the. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  20. ↑ "Axon Board Member, Caitlin Kalinowski Talks Tech and VR". Axon. 2021-07-20. https://www.axon.com/news/technology/axon-board-member-caitlin-kalinowski-talks-tech-and-vr. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  21. ↑ "Axon Enterprise, Inc. Form 8-K (Item 5.07, Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Axon Enterprise, Inc.. 2026-06-01. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1069183/000162828026039483/axon-20260528.htm. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
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