OpenAI has officially completed its acquisition of Jony Ive’s hardware startup, io Products Inc., in a landmark $6.5 billion deal. This move brings the renowned former Apple design chief and his team—including 55 engineers and designers, many with Apple and LoveFrom backgrounds—into OpenAI to spearhead a new era of AI hardware innovation.
Jony Ive, celebrated for his work on the iPhone, iMac, and MacBook, will now serve as OpenAI’s creative head for hardware. While his main design firm, LoveFrom, remains independent, Ive and his team will take on deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI’s product development efforts. The acquisition also brings in key Apple veterans such as Evans Hankey, Tang Tan, and Scott Cannon, further strengthening OpenAI’s hardware ambitions.
The partnership between Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is rooted in a shared vision: to move beyond legacy devices like smartphones and computers and create a new category of AI-first devices. These products aim to offer more natural, intuitive ways to interact with generative AI, leveraging context-aware capabilities and screen-free interactions. Early reports suggest the first device will not be a wearable or in-ear gadget, but rather a pocket-sized or desk-bound product that understands its surroundings and user behavior, providing insights without relying on a traditional screen.
OpenAI’s hardware division will operate from io’s existing San Francisco headquarters, with the first product expected to launch in 2026. This acquisition marks OpenAI’s most significant push yet to embed artificial intelligence in everyday physical tools, signaling a shift from purely software-based AI to tangible, user-centric devices designed by one of the tech industry’s most influential creative leaders.
As Sam Altman put it, “It’s just common sense to at least think surely there’s something beyond these legacy products we have,” underscoring their ambition to redefine how people connect with and benefit from AI technologies.