Overview
- OpenAI listed a Size 7, 100% rubber ChatGPT-branded basketball for $70 on Thursday as part of a “Pause. Play. Prompt.” campaign that the company says is meant to encourage creativity away from screens.
- The $70 price is well above a typical rubber basketball, which usually costs $15–$30, and coverage frames the product as premium merch rather than a tech device.
- Reporting differs on whether the basketball counts as OpenAI’s first hardware because TechCrunch and Mashable also highlighted a $230 Codex Micro mini keyboard released through the company’s shop.
- Bloomberg and other outlets have reported that OpenAI is developing a screenless smart speaker and other consumer devices, but those smart-speaker reports remain unconfirmed and should be treated as speculation.
- Market observers say the basketball itself is unlikely to move crypto or AI markets, though confirmed hardware announcements from OpenAI have historically attracted investor attention and token volatility.