OpenAI acquires Jony Ive’s startup ‘io’ for $6.4 billion in major hardware push

In a bold step toward its hardware ambitions, OpenAI has acquired design startup io for $6.4 billion — its largest acquisition to date. The startup, founded by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive, is part of a broader initiative to bring artificial intelligence into the physical world.

The announcement came via a joint blog post by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Jony Ive, who described their partnership as “a collaboration built upon friendship, curiosity and shared values.” They revealed that their alliance has been two years in development, though details on future products remain limited.