Open AI, the artificial intelligence company that makes Chat GPT, acquires IO, an AI technology company founded by Jony Ive and described as focused on hardware – in a deal valued at nearly 6.5 billion dollars, equivalent to approximately 62 billion kronor.
The purchase is the largest in Open AI's history, according to Bloomberg.
According to Open AI, the company's CEO Sam Altman has been "quietly" collaborating with Jony Ive and his design company since 2023>
Ive worked at Apple for over two decades and is known for his design work for Iphone, Imac, and Ipad. He left Apple in 2019 to start his own company.
Ive will not become employed by Open AI, but will remain independent with "deep design and creative responsibility" over Open AI and IO.
Sam Altman says that Open AI will create a product with a quality that "has never existed before in consumer hardware" – without going into any further details. The launch is expected in 2026.
