10-07-2025
OpenAI Finalises Acquisition of Jony Ive's io to Develop AI Hardware
OpenAI has completed its much-anticipated acquisition of io Products Inc., the hardware startup co-founded by the legendary former Apple designer Jony Ive. Valued at nearly $6.5 billion, the deal marks OpenAI's significant push to integrate its ChatGPT AI technology with dedicated hardware devices.
The news was confirmed in an updated blog post on Wednesday after OpenAI had to temporarily remove its original announcement due to a trademark dispute with Iyo, a hearing device company spun out of Google's moonshot factory.
The announcement now clarifies: 'We're thrilled to share that the io Products, Inc. team has officially merged with OpenAI. Jony Ive and LoveFrom remain independent and have assumed deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI.'
Although the company initially promoted the acquisition with a video featuring OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Ive, the clip remains offline due to the ongoing legal issue.
OpenAI says the newly integrated io team will work closely with its research, engineering, and product divisions in San Francisco to develop AI-powered products designed to 'inspire, empower and enable.'
The io Products, Inc. deal has officially closed and we're thrilled to welcome the team to Ive & LoveFrom remain independent. They'll have deep design & creative responsibilities across — OpenAI (@OpenAI) July 9, 2025
By merging io's hardware expertise with its advanced AI, OpenAI aims to push the boundaries of how people interact with AI in everyday devices—while leaning on Jony Ive's iconic design vision to shape this next chapter.
