OpenAI acquires Jony Ive's startup for $6.5 billion - former Apple designer
OpenAI has officially announced the acquisition of io, a startup founded by Jony Ive, the legendary iPhone designer. The deal is valued at $6.5 billion and is the largest in the company's history. As part of the deal, the io team of about 55 specialists, including former Apple employees, will join OpenAI to develop new hardware devices with integrated artificial intelligence.
What is known
Jony Ive, who left Apple in 2019, founded io with other former Apple employees such as Evans Hankey and Tang Tan. io specialises in developing devices that combine advanced technology with intuitive design. According to OpenAI, the acquisition aims to create a new category of devices that will provide a more natural interaction with AI, going beyond traditional screens and keyboards.
Although specific details of future products have not been disclosed, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman noted that they are working on a device that will change the way people interact with technology. Ive added that this project has "completely captured his imagination".
The deal also underscores OpenAI's strategic shift from a backend technology provider to a consumer brand that aims to compete with giants like Apple, Google, and Meta. The merger with io will allow OpenAI to expand its presence in the hardware space and create devices that integrate tightly with its software solutions, such as ChatGPT.
Jony Ive: the designer who drew the future
Jony Ive is a British industrial designer, known primarily for his role as chief designer at Apple. He is the man behind the iconic looks of the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Apple Watch. He joined Apple in 1992, and after the return of Steve Jobs, he became one of the main creators of the "less is more" philosophy. His style is based on minimalism, smooth shapes, and uncompromising attention to detail.
In 2019, Ive left Apple and founded his own design studio, LoveFrom. In 2022, he severed official ties with Apple. In 2025, his startup io, which specialises in devices with "human" design, was acquired by OpenAI for $6.5 billion. Ive is working to create a new category of AI gadgets that could change the way we interact with technology - again.
Sam Altman: the face of the modern AI revolution
Sam Altman is an American entrepreneur, investor, and one of the most influential figures in the field of artificial intelligence. Born in 1985, he founded the startup Loopt while still a student and later headed the Y Combinator accelerator, which has helped companies such as Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe.
In 2015, he co-founded OpenAI with Elon Musk and other tech geeks, and since 2019, he has been the company's CEO. It was under his leadership that OpenAI launched ChatGPT, which sparked global interest in generative AI.
Altman is known for his ambitious vision: from creating artificial general intelligence (AGI) to launching the Worldcoin crypto project. In 2023, he was briefly fired from OpenAI, but returned after a high-profile scandal.
Today, Altman is one of the main "architects" of the AI future, who is not afraid of big risks and even bigger ideas.
OpenAI: a laboratory that teaches machines to think
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research company founded in 2015 by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, and other entrepreneurs. Initially, the organisation was non-profit and had an ambitious goal: to create safe artificial general intelligence (AGI) for the benefit of humanity. Over time, OpenAI has evolved into a "hybrid" structure: a non-profit foundation manages a profitable subsidiary that develops commercial products.
The most famous developments are a line of GPT language models, including ChatGPT, as well as DALL-E (image generation), Codex (assistant for programmers), and Whisper (speech recognition). In 2023, OpenAI became a global flagship in the field of generative AI, and its APIs were integrated into hundreds of applications and services.
Despite its technical achievements, the company often finds itself at the centre of ethical and political discussions about the impact of AI on society. But its mission remains the same: to make AI safe and useful for everyone.
Source: OpenAI
