According to The Information, OpenAI is considering acquiring "io Products," a company co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. This company focuses on developing novel AI-powered devices, including a potential screenless "phone" and other smart home products. Sources close to the project say the product isn't a traditional phone in the conventional sense.
Ive and Altman's collaboration began over a year ago, primarily aiming to create a voice-activated AI assistant. The project is still in its early design stages, and the final product concept remains undefined. The company has received funding from Laurene Powell Jobs' Emerson Collective. io Products boasts a small but highly anticipated team, including former Apple designers, such as Don Tang and Evans Hankey, who previously worked alongside Ive on the iPhone. Their design expertise is highly valued.
Beyond a potential acquisition, OpenAI and io Products are exploring other collaborative options. Insiders suggest that an OpenAI acquisition would not only provide access to the technology but also integrate the engineering team developing the device. The envisioned structure involves io Products employing engineers for hardware development, OpenAI contributing the AI capabilities, and Ive's LoveFrom studio providing design expertise.
Jony Ive left Apple in 2019, having served as Apple's chief design officer, and subsequently established his own design firm, LoveFrom. Despite this, he continued consulting for Apple until 2022.
Key Highlights:
📱 OpenAI is considering acquiring "io Products," an AI hardware startup founded by Jony Ive and Sam Altman, focused on developing screenless smart devices.
💻 io Products' team consists of former Apple designers, and the project is currently in its early design phase with the final product concept yet to be determined.
🤖 OpenAI's collaboration with io Products could intensify its competition with Apple in the AI voice assistant market.
