Apple is poised to revolutionize the tech landscape with its acquisition of Jony Ive’s AI-focused startup, io, in a $6.5 billion deal.
A New Era in AI-First Consumer Devices
Jony Ive‘s Year-old Startup io Sold to OpenAI for $6.5 Billion
Legendary designer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are joining forces to revolutionize the way we interact with technology.
Sir Jony Ive is a British designer, inventor, and former Chief Design Officer at Apple Inc.
Born on February 21, 1969, in London, England, he graduated from Newcastle Polytechnic with a degree in Industrial Design Engineering.
Ive joined Apple in 1992 and was instrumental in designing several iconic products, including the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
He holds over 600 patents for his designs and has been awarded numerous honors, including a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.
OpenAI has announced its largest acquisition to date, purchasing Jony Ive‘s year-old hardware startup, LoveFrom’s io, in a staggering $6.5 billion deal. This merger brings together ‘a new family of products’ built specifically for AI. According to a blog post from OpenAI, the goal is to reimagine the way we use technology.
Apple has made several strategic acquisitions over the years to expand its product and service offerings.
In 2014, Apple acquired Beats Electronics for $3 billion, gaining control of the Beats brand and music streaming service.
In 2017, Apple purchased Shazam for $400 million, adding a song recognition feature to its Music app.
Additionally, Apple has acquired several artificial intelligence startups, including Turi Create and Lattice Data, to enhance its Siri virtual assistant.
‘I have a growing sense that everything I have learned over the last 30 years has led me to this moment,’ said Jony Ive in a statement. The veteran designer, known for shaping Apple‘s minimalist design language, expressed his excitement and trepidation about taking on the substantial responsibility of designing AI-first consumer devices. Ive will assume design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI and io through his design firm LoveFrom, while maintaining independence from the AI company.
Jony Ive‘s journey into AI began when his son started experimenting with ChatGPT. This curiosity led to a meeting with Altman, who shares Ive‘s vision for creating hardware tailored to A.I. The two have been collaborating on this project since then, inspiring Ive to found io in 2024. The startup co-founded by Ive, along with several former Apple colleagues, will join OpenAI with its 55-person team, reporting to OpenAI’s vice president of product, Peter Welinder.
While details about the new device remain under wraps, both Ive and Altman emphasize that their project is not just another sleek gadget. Instead, they aim to rethink the way we interact with technology. The future device will be less clunky than a laptop and less screen-focused than a smartphone, as stated by Altman. He hopes to ‘bring some of the delight, wonder and creative spirit’ that he felt using an Apple Computer 30 years ago.
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in consumer devices has transformed the way people interact with technology.
Smart speakers, such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, use AI to process voice commands and provide information.
Additionally, smartphones with AI-powered cameras can detect objects and scenes more accurately than traditional cameras.
Other examples include smart thermostats and home security systems that learn user behavior to optimize performance.
This acquisition marks OpenAI’s first major foray into consumer hardware since its previous attempt with Humane‘s $699 wearable pin, which failed to gain traction. Still, CEO Sam Altman is optimistic about what’s to come. According to the company’s video announcement, Ive recently gave him a prototype to test at home, calling it ‘the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen.’
