OpenAI is acquiring Jony Ive’s AI startup “io” for $6.5 billion in an all-stock deal. This marks OpenAI’s biggest acquisition to date and is a clear push for the ChatGPT maker into hardware. The deal should be finalized later this summer pending regulatory approval.
A reported 55 employees from Jony Ive’s AI startup firm, “io” will join OpenAI team to work on AI-powered devices. The first product from the collaboration is expected to launch in 2026. OpenAI and Ive’s “io” firm have been collaborating for the past two years.
The “io” startup, which is part of LoveFrom – Ive’s independent creative design company, which he launched in 2019, was co-founded last year by Ive alongside former Apple engineers Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey and Tang Tan.
OpenAI posted a joint interview/announcement video where Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman talk about building a “family of devices”. There’s not much more we can make out from the nearly 10-minute video.
According to a Wall Street Journal report (paywalled), OpenAI’s first hardware product will be a “pocket-sized, contextually aware and screen-free device”. It won’t be smart glasses or any other type of wearable, and will be fully aware of the user’s surroundings. The report refers to the upcoming OpenAI devices as a third-core device that’s meant to complement your laptop and smartphone.