Jony Ive, Apple’s iconic former chief designer behind the iPhone and many of the company’s most memorable products, is now partnering with OpenAI. Last year, he launched an AI-focused hardware startup called “io” alongside Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan. Now, the io team is officially joining forces with OpenAI to “collaborate more closely with its research, engineering, and product teams in San Francisco“.
On top of that, OpenAI has confirmed that Jony Ive and his design firm, LoveFrom, will take on significant design and creative roles across both OpenAI and io. LoveFrom had already been working with OpenAI from the past two years. According to Bloomberg, OpenAI has acquired the io startup in a deal valued at $6.5 billion.
OpenAI also noted that the io team has brought together “the best hardware and software engineers, top technologists, physicists, scientists, researchers, and experts in product development and manufacturing.”
Before merging with OpenAI, io had been developing a new “family of products” that aimed to go beyond conventional devices and user interfaces. With AI’s ability to see, hear, think, and understand, OpenAI is now focused on creating AI-first hardware designed to seamlessly connect humans and machines.
Apple senior executive Eddy Cue recently testified in the Google search monopoly case, suggesting that people might not even need an iPhone a decade from now. In that light, the demand for AI-powered devices is rapidly increasing and with Jony Ive and his team now on board, OpenAI could be well-positioned to lead the charge. At the same time, Google has introduced its own entry into the space with Gemini-powered Android XR glasses.
[Update]
According to The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI is working on a secret AI-powered device in collaboration with Jony Ive—and interestingly, it won’t feature a screen. In a staff meeting recording obtained by the Journal, CEO Sam Altman described the device as more of an “AI companion,” with the company aiming to ship 100 million units.
The report states, “The product will be capable of being fully aware of a user’s surroundings and life, will be unobtrusive, able to rest in one’s pocket or on one’s desk, and would be a third core device a person would put on their desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone.“
Importantly, OpenAI’s upcoming AI device won’t be a smart glasses or an AI-powered phone. Altman is focused on cutting down screen dependency, and Ive has expressed doubts about wearables. The device is slated for release by the end of 2026.
