Yesterday, Jony Ive officially confirmed his partnership with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on a groundbreaking AI hardware project. This announcement came in The New York Times profile, nearly a year after initial rumors of their collaboration. Excitement is building as the design legend and Altman join forces!
Jony Ive, the legendary designer who changed Apple, is making a comeback! Five years after leaving his full-time job, he’s starting a new venture with OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. Get ready for some exciting new ideas!
Although the details have not been shared yet, the idea for the project is described as
“A product that uses A.I. to create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone.” Rumors indicate the idea is inspired by touchscreen technology and the original iPhone.
Ive reportedly connected with Altman through Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and the incident is supported by Ive and the Emerson Collective, Laurene Powell Jobs’ company.
According to The Times, the project could secure up to $1 billion in funding by year’s end, though there’s no mention of Masayoshi Son, the SoftBank CEO rumored to have invested $1 billion last year.
Currently, there are only 10 employees involved with the project, including key figures like Tang Tan and Evans Hankey who previously worked with Ive on the iPhone.
According to the report, LoveFrom, Ive’s company is leading the device’s design. The team is now operating out of a 32,000-square-foot office in San Francisco, part of a $90 million block of real estate that Ive has formulated on a single city street.
However, the Details are still unclear. According to Marc Newson, creator at LoveFrom, specifics about the AI product, including its release date, are yet to be finalized.
