Summary:
OpenAI may acquire io Products for around $500 million.
Jony Ive and Sam Altman are collaborating on this AI hardware startup.
io Products has received funding from Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective.
The startup aims to create AI-enabled devices that are less disruptive than the iPhone.
OpenAI may consider a partnership instead of a full acquisition.
OpenAI is reportedly in talks to acquire io Products, the AI hardware startup co-founded by Jony Ive, former Apple design lead, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. According to The Information, the potential acquisition could be valued at around $500 million.
Background on io Products
Ive, who left Apple in 2019 to establish his own design firm LoveFrom, confirmed his collaboration with Altman on this innovative startup. The company has successfully attracted funding from notable investors, including Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective.
Future Plans and Innovations
While acquisition talks are ongoing, there is a possibility that OpenAI may choose to partner with io Products instead. The startup, which has a small team including former Apple designers Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, is currently exploring various concepts for AI-enabled devices, focusing on creating smart home gadgets. Their goal, as highlighted by The New York Times, is to develop products that are “less socially disruptive than the iPhone.”
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