Tech veterans Jony Ive and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, have finally confirmed their collaboration on a secretive AI hardware project. The news comes after a year of speculation following initial reports of their potential partnership.
Details remain scarce, but The New York Times sheds some light on the venture. The project reportedly began after Ive met Altman through Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Funding seems to be coming from a combination of Ive himself and the Emerson Collective, Laurene Powell Jobs’ organization. While earlier rumors mentioned a potential $1 billion investment from SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, The Times makes no mention of it.
Currently, the team is small, with only ten employees. However, it includes heavyweights like Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, both instrumental figures in the iPhone’s development during Ive’s tenure at Apple. LoveFrom, Ive’s design firm, is unsurprisingly leading the project’s aesthetic direction. They’ve even set up shop in a dedicated 32,000-square-foot office space, part of a $90 million real estate acquisition by Ive in San Francisco.
So, what exactly are they building? The Times hints at discussions between Ive and Altman about “generative AI’s potential to create a new kind of computing device that surpasses traditional software by understanding complex user requests.” Early rumors suggested a touchscreen device inspired by the original iPhone, but specifics seem fluid at this point.
LoveFrom co-founder Marc Newson emphasizes the project’s early stage: “the AI product itself – and when it’ll be released – are still being figured out.” This leaves tech enthusiasts waiting with bated breath. Can the combined expertise of Ive and OpenAI redefine how we interact with technology through a revolutionary AI device? Only time will tell.
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