Mirror Review
May 22nd, 2025
Summary:
- Legendary former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive is partnering with OpenAI.
- OpenAI is acquiring io, a nascent hardware firm founded by Jony Ive and other Apple veterans. The deal is valued at roughly $6.5 billion.
- Ive and his design firm, LoveFrom, will take on deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI and io. Ive himself will not be an OpenAI employee, but LoveFrom will oversee design for all of OpenAI, including its software.
- The partnership aims to develop a “family of devices” built specifically for AI software, potentially reimagining how we use computers.
- This venture is seen as a move to create hardware that offers a better experience for AI interaction than current laptops and smartphones, taking particular aim at Apple.
10 Things You Need to Know as Jony Ive Joins OpenAI
Here are 10 key takeaways from this landmark announcement of Jony Ive joining OpenAI:
- A New Company Born from Collaboration:
The startup, io, was founded by Jony Ive just a year ago, along with other Apple alumni Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan.
This came after two years of quiet collaboration between Ive’s creative collective LoveFrom and Sam Altman’s team at OpenAI.
The shared ambition to develop, engineer, and manufacture a new family of products led to the formation of io.
- A Multi-Billion Dollar Deal:
OpenAI is acquiring io in a deal valued at approximately $6.5 billion. This marks OpenAI’s largest known acquisition to date.
Prior to this, OpenAI already held a 23% stake in io.
- Jony Ive’s Deep Involvement:
While Jony Ive will not be a direct employee of OpenAI, his design firm LoveFrom will assume “deep design and creative responsibilities” across both OpenAI and the newly merged io.
This suggests his design philosophy will be integral to future OpenAI offerings, including software. LoveFrom will remain an independent company.
- The Vision: A New Family of AI-Powered Devices:
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, and Jony Ive envision creating a “family of devices” specifically designed for AI.
Altman stated, “Such technology ‘deserves something much better’ than today’s laptops.”
The goal is to move beyond the friction of current interfaces like keyboards and screens.
- Challenging Traditional Tech and Apple:
This move is widely interpreted as a direct challenge to existing tech hardware, particularly Apple, where Ive was instrumental in designing iconic products like the iMac, iPod, and iPhone.
Some analysts believe AI hardware could upend the gadget world, potentially displacing smartphones and laptops.
Even Apple’s Chief of Services, Eddy Cue, has acknowledged that AI devices could replace the iPhone within 10 years.
- “Reimagining What It Means to Use a Computer”:
Both Altman and Ive have expressed grand ambitions.
Altman said, “I think we have the opportunity here to kind of completely re-imagine what it means to use a computer. Ive believes the world is on the ‘brink of a new generation of technology’ that can make us our better selves.”
- Focus on a Less Socially Disruptive Experience:
There are indications that the new products will aim for a computing experience that is “less socially disruptive than the iPhone.”
This aligns with Ive’s sentiment that current products delivering technology are “decades old” and there’s a need to explore “something beyond these legacy products.”
- A Team of Experienced Talent:
The io team, which will now merge with OpenAI, comprises top hardware and software engineers, technologists, physicists, scientists, researchers, and experts in product development and manufacturing.
Key Apple design veterans and co-founders of io, Scott Cannon, Tang Tan, and Evans Hankey, are joining OpenAI full-time.
- Product Prototypes and Future Announcements:
While specific product details remain under wraps, Sam Altman mentioned he has seen a prototype of a device, describing it as “the coolest piece of technology the world will have ever seen.”
The companies plan to announce their work next year.
- Market Reaction and Industry Context:
Following the announcement, Apple’s shares fell more than 2%.
The move comes as tech rivals like Meta, Google, and Apple are also investing heavily in AI-powered hardware such as headsets and glasses.
However, not all AI hardware ventures have succeeded, with products like the Humane AI Pin falling flat.
Ive himself has referred to some of these early attempts as “bad products.”
What’s Ahead for OpenAI and Ive?
The decision for Jony Ive to join OpenAI through the acquisition of io is a clear statement of intent.
OpenAI is no longer just a software and research company; it’s now seriously venturing into the hardware domain.
With Jony Ive’s unparalleled design expertise and a team of seasoned professionals, the AI news landscape is set for some exciting developments.
The tech world will be keenly watching for what this powerhouse collaboration unveils next year, as they work to bring “a new generation of AI-powered computers” to life.
