OpenAI and Jony Ive's hardware venture, io, is aggressively poaching Apple talent and tapping its supply chain. The startup has already recruited over two dozen ex-Apple designers and engineers, and signed assembler Luxshare for its upcoming devices—which could include a screenless speaker, glasses, or a wearable pin as early as late 2026.
OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap just revealed the company wants to build an "ambient computer layer" that frees users from staring at screens. The vision is tied to OpenAI's recent $6.5 billion acquisition of former Apple designer Jony Ive's startup io, with hardware reveals slated for 2026. Why it matters: Altman aims to completely reimagine computing beyond typing prompts into a browser.
Former Apple design chief Jony Ive just called last year's Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1 "very poor products," citing an absence of new thinking as he readies an OpenAI-backed gadget for 2026. Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu replied that being mentioned by his hero is an honor, but bristled at being lumped in with Humane, which got acquired and shut down.
OpenAI just spent $6.5B to acquire io, a secretive device startup founded by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive. The duo is developing a pocket-sized, screen-free companion pitched as a third core device alongside laptops and smartphones, aiming for a late 2026 launch and 100M units shipped.
