tech
February 10, 2026
OpenAI is buying Jony Ive’s AI hardware company
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
TL;DR
- OpenAI is acquiring Jony Ive's AI hardware startup, io, for approximately $6.5 billion.
- About 55 employees from io, including former Apple engineers Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan, will join OpenAI.
- Jony Ive will not join OpenAI, but his firm LoveFrom will handle design for all of OpenAI's products.
- The first AI devices resulting from this collaboration are anticipated to launch in 2026.
- Ive described previous AI hardware like the Humane Pin and Rabbit R1 as "very poor products" and sees a lack of innovative product design in the AI space.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated the first product will be a "totally new kind of thing," not intended to replace smartphones.
- Details suggest the upcoming device will be pocket-sized, contextually aware, screen-free, and not smart glasses.
- Both Ive and Altman expressed strong enthusiasm for the potential of this collaboration and the new technology.
- The io team will merge with OpenAI to work more closely with their research, engineering, and product teams.
Continue reading
the original article