Latest news with #Iyo
The Verge
14-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Iyo sues former employee who shared secrets to get job at io.
Iyo sues former employee who shared secrets to get job at io. The new lawsuit says io co-founder Tang Tan admitted that he received confidential information, including CAD drawings of Iyo's ear-worn computer, from the startup's former design and manufacturing lead who was seeking a job from io at the time.
India Today
26-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
Sam Altman calls io lawsuit against OpenAI silly, rival founder says he doesn't want to fight in public
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has taken to social media to push back against a trademark lawsuit filed by a rival hardware startup, Iyo, over the name of OpenAI's upcoming hardware lineup under the IO Product banner (in partnership with Jony Ive). In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Altman shared screenshots of email conversations between him and Iyo founder Jason emails date back to March, when Rugolo pitched Altman for a $10 million investment in his audio-hardware company, which he said had been "obsessively" working on AI-human interaction since 2018. Altman turned him down, saying he was "working on something competitive."jason rugolo had been hoping we would invest in or acquire his company iyo and was quite persistent in his efforts. we passed and were clear along the he is suing openai over the name. this is silly, disappointing and wrong. Sam Altman (@sama) June 24, 2025When Rugolo had asked if OpenAI might still consider collaborating, Altman replied that any decision would need to involve former Apple designer Jony Ive, who was leading the project. OpenAI has since acquired Ive's hardware company in a deal reportedly worth $6.5 The exchanges continued into May. After OpenAI unveiled its new device, also called io, Rugolo reached out again. "I'm getting blown up on the names situation," he wrote on May 23. "I wanted to level with you here, I'm feeling a little vulnerable and exposed, David and Goliath style. I just wanted to hear from you directly, are you serious and optimistic about potentially bringing us in?" To this, there was a reply from OpenAI VP of Product, Peter Welinder, which indicated that the company didn't see a partnership working out. "Their device is very orthogonal to ours and doesn't really work yet," he weeks later, OpenAI quietly removed all references to its io branding from its website. The change came after a judge granted a temporary restraining order in favour of Iyo, which had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit on June its filing, Iyo claims OpenAI had prior knowledge of its work — citing meetings with Altman's investment firm and Jony Ive's design company LoveFrom in 2022. It also alleges that proprietary information was shared during a recruiting attempt involving former Apple designer Evans Hankey, who went on to co-found OpenAI's hardware unit. Altman pushed back hard against the suit on X, saying Rugolo had been "quite persistent" in seeking investment or acquisition and that OpenAI had been "clear along the way" in saying no."This is silly, disappointing and wrong," he posted. "It is cool to try super hard to raise money or get acquired and to do whatever you can to make your company succeed. It is not cool to turn to a lawsuit when you don't get what you want."Despite his frustration, Altman added, "I wish Jason and his team the best building great products. The world certainly needs more of that and less lawsuits."Rugolo responded with restraint, saying he didn't want a public argument. "I won't fight you guys in public," he wrote. "Just think it's super bad form for someone like you to be coming after me like this. I'm looking forward to competing with you fairly on product; you just can't use our name." advertisementHe added that the lawsuit was "only about trademark" and pointed to the restraining order as evidence of its merit. "Read the judge's decision," he urged. "Restraining orders are rare and only given in the most exceptional cases of infringement."OpenAI confirmed it had pulled the io branding due to the legal order but maintains that its device is different – not an in-ear product or wearable like Iyo's. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Jony Ive dismissed the lawsuit as "utterly baseless" and said the company would "fight it vigorously."Last month, OpenAI acquired IO Products, a secretive hardware startup co-founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive – who is known for designing the iPhone, iMac and iPod. The deal marked OpenAI's first major move into hardware products after years of software-focused development. At the time, Altman told employees that the new device could eventually sell up to 100 million units and potentially add $1 trillion to OpenAI's valuation. In a now-deleted blog post, he and Ive said they formed a new company to build a "family of products" designed for interacting with was incorporated in Delaware in September 2023 and registered in California in April 2025. OpenAI already held a 23 percent stake before the $5 billion equity purchase. The hardware division is being led by Peter Welinder, with a team that includes experts from robotics, design, and manufacturing, all working alongside OpenAI's main research group in San Francisco.- Ends
Entrepreneur
25-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Sam Altman: Lawsuit Over Jony Ives 'Io' Name Is 'Silly'
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote on X that "turning to a lawsuit when you don't get your way" sets a "terrible precedent." On Monday, OpenAI scrubbed the news of its partnership with famed former Apple designer Jony Ive from its website and social media due to a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by the CEO of a device company, Iyo. (Ive's company is called "io".) One day later, Altman responded to the news on X, writing that before bringing the lawsuit, Iyo CEO Jason Rugolo had been "persistent" in his efforts to get OpenAI to acquire or invest in his company. He also added four screenshots of emails for proof. Related: 'The Coolest Piece of Technology the World Has Ever Seen': OpenAI Is Acquiring Former Apple Designer Jony Ive's Startup for $6.5 Billion "We passed and were clear along the way," Altman wrote regarding the non-deal. "Now he is suing OpenAI over the name. This is silly, disappointing and wrong." jason rugolo had been hoping we would invest in or acquire his company iyo and was quite persistent in his efforts. we passed and were clear along the way. now he is suing openai over the name. this is silly, disappointing and wrong. — Sam Altman (@sama) June 24, 2025 Altman added more context (and defended try-hards everywhere), writing that he did "talk" with Rugolo on "his repeated outreaches," and that Altman and OpenAI passed on buying his company just "a few days before the lawsuit." "It is cool to try super hard to raise money or get acquired and to do whatever you can to make your company succeed," Altman wrote. "It is not cool to turn to a lawsuit when you dont get what you want. Sets a terrible precedent for trying to help the ecosystem." all that said, i wish jason and his team the best building great products. the world certainly needs more of that and less lawsuits. — Sam Altman (@sama) June 24, 2025 About an hour after Altman's Tweets, Rugolo wrote on X that "there are 675 other two-letter names they can choose that aren't ours." Though the post on X was not directly responding to Altman, it was part of a thread from earlier in the week, when he wrote why they are suing. "You can't start a company called 'appl' or 'googl'," he wrote. we're not gonna let sam & jony steal our name. — jason rugolo (@jasonRugolo) June 22, 2025 "I welcome their competition in the market, we're all trying to build dope products," Rugolo wrote. "They just can't use our name." The suit is ongoing. Related: Steve Jobs Gave Jony Ive an 'Impossible Task' the First Time They Met. It Saved Apple from Bankruptcy.
Hindustan Times
25-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
OpenAI's first ai hardware stuck in legal row over 'io' branding and trademark concerns
OpenAI, the company that gave us ChatGPT, is working on something big, and it's not just software this time. They've teamed up with former Apple design legend Jony Ive to build their first-ever hardware device. Earlier this year, OpenAI brought in a team led by Jony Ive, the former Apple design head, in a multi-billion dollar all-equity deal. The goal was to build a new kind of AI device. But there is one big problem. The name they were using, "io", is now caught up in a legal fight. Trademark fight slows OpenAI's hardware launch So what is the issue? Another company called Iyo says OpenAI is using a name that sounds too close to its own. Iyo is an audio tech startup that is working on an in-ear AI device. They filed a lawsuit claiming that OpenAI and its new hardware team knew about their brand and even rejected an earlier investment offer. Court documents include emails that show OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had direct contact with Iyo before deciding to move in a different direction. Things got more serious when a US court told OpenAI to stop using the name "io" in public. So OpenAI has now removed all references to it from its website and social media. The company is being very careful with what it says about the project for now. What kind of device is OpenAI building? According to court filings, it is not a wearable and not an in-ear gadget. Tang Tan, who is leading the hardware team, said the product is still at least a year away and the design is not final yet. While the exact nature of OpenAI's hardware remains under wraps, it has been confirmed that it will not be released before 2026. Court documents dated June 12 reveal more about the development process. OpenAI stated that the "io" team had explored a variety of hardware formats before deciding on a direction. These included desktop, mobile, wired, wireless, wearable and portable concepts. The company added that its team spent several months studying existing market products and engaging in prototyping exercises. In short, OpenAI wanted to build something new and exciting in the AI hardware space. But now they have to deal with a name dispute before they can move forward. For now, all eyes are on what they build and what they call it next. One thing is clear. OpenAI's move into hardware has begun, but the road ahead may be a little bumpy.
CNBC
24-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Sam Altman calls Iyo lawsuit 'silly' after OpenAI scrubs Jony Ive deal from website
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Tuesday criticized a lawsuit filed by hardware startup Iyo, which accused his company of trademark infringement. Altman said, in response to the suit, that Iyo CEO Jason Rugolo had been "quite persistent in his efforts" to get OpenAI to buy or invest in his company. In a post on X, Altman wrote that Rugolo is now suing OpenAI over the name in a case he described as "silly, disappointing and wrong." The suit, earlier this month, stemmed from an announcement in May, when OpenAI said it was bringing on Apple designer Jony Ive by acquiring his artificial intelligence startup io in a deal valued at about $6.4 billion. Iyo alleged that OpenAI, Altman and Ive had engaged in unfair competition and trademark infringement and claimed that it's on the verge of losing its identity because of the deal. OpenAI removed the blog post about the deal from its website, after a judge last week granted Iyo's request for a temporary restraining order to keep OpenAI and its associates "from using Plaintiff's IYO mark, and any mark confusingly similar thereto, including without limitation 'IO.'" "This page is temporarily down due to a court order following a trademark complaint from iyO about our use of the name 'io,'" OpenAI says in a message that now appears at the link where the post had been. "We don't agree with the complaint and are reviewing our options." On X, Altman posted screenshots of emails from Rugolo seeking investment and a transaction involving Iyo's intellectual property. Rugolo also wanted OpenAI to buy Iyo, Altman wrote. Rugolo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. But on X, he wrote that "there are 675 other two letter names they can choose that aren't ours." The Iyo suit is among several legal challenges facing OpenAI, which is working to evolve its organizational structure to take on more capital as it builds out its AI models. OpenAI also is going up against The New York Times in a copyright infringement case, and separately against Elon Musk, who had helped start OpenAI as a nonprofit in 2015 and is now suing for breach of contract. Iyo is accepting pre-orders for its Iyo One in-ear wearable device that contains 16 microphones. Ive hasn't released details about io's product plans, but Altman told The Wall Street Journal that io's inaugural device is not a smartphone. Altman wrote in another Tuesday post that he wishes the Iyo team "the best building great products," and that "the world certainly needs more of that and less lawsuits."
