OpenAI said on Wednesday that it is buying John Ive’s AI devices startup io for about $6.4 million. This deal would, for the first time, push OpenAI into the world of hardware. Ive is taking on “deep creative and design responsibilities across OpenAI and io,” the company said in a statement. OpenAI said io is coming in-house, while Ive and his “creative collective” called LoveFrom will stay independent.
Io reportedly has plans for a range of different devices, including a screenless phone-like product that reimagines human-computer interaction through AI. The design efforts are led by Ive, who was the creative force behind the iPhone. While early concepts draw on the minimalist ethos of the iPhone, they are expected to diverge in function and purpose.
READ: OpenAI in the talks to buy Windsurf for $3 billion (April 17, 2025)
“The io team, focused on developing products that inspire, empower and enable, will now merge with OpenAI to work more intimately with the research, engineering and product teams in San Francisco,” Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said via a blog post. This is OpenAI’s largest acquisition so far, and comes weeks after the company agreed to buy AI-assisted coding tool Windsurf for $3 billion. Prior to that, OpenAI acquired analytics database company Rockset for an undisclosed sum in 2024.
Ive had announced his departure from Apple — where he was Chief Design Officer, to start LoveFrom. While LoveFrom states on its website it was founded by Ive and designer Marc Newson, it doesn’t mention what it does, nor is there any mention of io.
Ive had designed some of Apple’s most iconic products including the iPod, iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air. He also helped design Apple’s new Cupertino headquarters called Apple Park, a project that began in 2004, with the campus officially opening in 2019.
In another step towards furthering hardware ambitions, OpenAI hired the former head of Meta’s Orion augmented reality glasses initiative in November 2024 to lead its robotics and consumer hardware efforts. Caitlin “CK” Kalinowski wrote in an announcement at the time that the role would “initially focus on OpenAI’s robotics work and partnerships to help bring AI into the physical world and unlock its benefits for humanity.”