OpenAI is said to be in talks to acquire io Products, the AI hardware startup led by former Apple design head Jony Ive along with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The Microsoft-backed startup has offered to pay around $500 million to acquire io Products, according to a report by The Information. The fledgling startup has already managed to raise an undisclosed amount of funding from investors such as Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective and others, as per the report. However, the report also noted that OpenAI may end up teaming up with io Products on making AI-based gadgets instead of acquiring the company. Currently, io Products has a small team that includes former Apple designers Tang Tan and Evans Hankey. Jony Ive is known for his role in creating the first iPhone, which was launched in 2007 and became a global phenomenon. He left the smartphone giant in 2019 to set up his own venture called LoveFrom. Last year, Ive told The New York Times he has been working with Sam Altman on a project that aims to develop a device that would enable users to interact with AI in a more natural and intuitive way. He had said that the goal of the project was to build AI-based products that are “less socially disruptive than the iPhone.” While io Products still appears to be in early stages, the startup has reportedly been working on different concepts of AI-enabled devices, including smart home gadgets.
