Overview

• OpenAI is reportedly in talks to acquire or partner with io Products, a startup co-founded by Jony Ive and Sam Altman, for at least $500 million.
• The startup is developing AI-powered devices, including a conceptual design for a screenless device described as 'not a phone,' though its exact functionality remains unclear.
• io Products is in the early design stages, with no finalized product concepts, and is funded by Jony Ive and Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective.
• If the deal proceeds, OpenAI would integrate its AI technology with io Products’ hardware expertise and design team, including former Apple designers Tang Tan and Evans Hankey.
• This venture marks OpenAI's expansion into hardware, positioning it as a direct competitor to Apple, building on prior collaborations like ChatGPT integration with Siri.