Jony Ive, Described By Sam Altman As 'The Greatest Designer In The World' Joins OpenAI In $6.5B Deal To Build 'A Totally New Kind Of Thing'

Paula Tudoran

Tue, Jun 3, 2025, 6:45 AM 4 min read

OpenAI announced on May 21 that it had made a significant move by acquiring io, the AI hardware startup co-founded by renowned designer Jony Ive.

The deal is valued at approximately $6.5 billion and brings Ive and a team of former Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) engineers into OpenAI's fold to spearhead a new division focused on building screenless, AI-powered hardware devices, Bloomberg reports.

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According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the partnership aims to develop “a totally new kind of thing,” referring to a novel category of computing devices that minimize screen dependency and prioritize seamless interaction with artificial intelligence, Bloomberg says.

Ive, who co-founded io in 2024 after launching his independent design firm LoveFrom, will oversee design across all OpenAI initiatives, including both software and hardware interfaces, according to Bloomberg.

According to Bloomberg, the io acquisition includes roughly 55 engineers and designers from Apple and LoveFrom. These include Tang Tan, Evans Hankey, and Scott Cannon, all of whom were instrumental in the development of the iPhone, Apple Watch, and other flagship products, Bloomberg reports.

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Ive's career spans nearly three decades at Apple, where he was responsible for designing the iPhone, iMac, iPod, iPad, and Apple Watch. According to CNBC, Ive was described by the late Steve Jobs as his “spiritual partner at Apple,” and his “closest and most loyal friend.”

Altman also referred to Ive as "the greatest designer in the world" in a post on X, expressing his excitement about their partnership. Altman said he was "thrilled to be partnering with Jony" and "excited to try to create a new generation of AI-powered computers," signaling a bold step toward reimagining how people interact with artificial intelligence.

The team's mission at OpenAI will be to build a family of AI-native devices that offer new modes of interaction, breaking away from legacy interfaces like smartphone screens and physical keyboards, Bloomberg reports. According to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in an X post, one prototype involves a display-less wearable device that connects to smartphones and is worn around the neck, similar in philosophy to Apple's AirPods.