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2w ago

OpenAI Buys Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Develop AI Wearable

The acquisition marks OpenAI's shift into consumer hardware under Ive’s vision of a screenless AI companion designed with human wellbeing in mind.

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Overview

  • OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s AI hardware startup io in a deal valued at approximately $6.5 billion, bringing his LoveFrom design team into its fold.
  • The company aims to launch the first device in 2026, with analysts forecasting a screenless, neck-worn AI companion resembling an iPod Shuffle.
  • Ive and investor Laurene Powell Jobs frame the project as a response to smartphones’ unintended harms by centering human wellbeing in every design choice.
  • Powell Jobs has supported Ive’s ventures since his 2019 departure from Apple, underscoring a shared commitment to technology that serves and inspires.
  • Early reports suggest the wearable will provide continuous environmental awareness and personal context as a distinct “third core device” alongside phones and laptops.