OpenAI spends $6.5 billion on Jony Ive-founded startup io

First came Apple’s 2024 pact to let Siri tap ChatGPT for answers it can’t find on-device. Now OpenAI is spending $6.5 billion in stock to absorb Jony Ive’s skunkworks, io. Ive, known for his work at Apple, where he led design of products such as iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Apple Watch, and even Apple’s circular headquarters, Apple Park.

While at Apple from 1992 to 2019, Sir Jony Ive, had a significant influence over the firm’s R&D and product design and engineering. As Apple’s Chief Design Officer, Ive is credited on thousands of patents. In 2019 Ive departed Apple to found his own design firm (LoveFrom).

At OpenAI, Ive will oversee work “with the research, engineering, and product teams in San Francisco,” according to a press release.

While there are no official details, there are signals that OpenAI is laying groundwork in developing hardware-based products, including robotics. There is also a rumored “AI companion.”

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman said in a video the collaboration offered the opportunity to “completely reimagine what it means to use a computer.”
“Altman, ever the marketer, described a prototype Ive helped develop, which he took home, as ‘the coolest piece of technology that the world has ever seen.'”

“AI is an incredible technology, but great tools require work at the intersection of technology, design, and understanding people and the world. No one can do this like Jony and his team; the amount of care they put into every aspect of the process is extraordinary. —Altman”

One of the defining traits of Ive is his pursuit of novel of materials and fabrication techniques in order to realize his design visions. Ive often worked closely with Apple’s engineering, materials, and operations teams to develop, for instance, new processes or alloys when existing technology fell short. Ive reportedly is named on more than 5,000 patents. A review of 87 Ive‑named utility and design patents published between 2004 and 2024 shows that many are in CPC class G06F 3/04xx, the bucket covering computer input and output arrangements. A common theme involves user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) improvements. For instance, a significant number of these patents involve biometric authentication, such as fingerprint and facial recognition. In addition, many of the wearable-related patents cover context-specific user interfaces that adapt to the user’s current situation. Overall, many patents in the subset address methods for interacting with devices, managing information, and displaying content in an intuitive manner. everal older patents discuss magnetic attachment mechanisms for connecting accessories to devices. A few patents discuss interacting with 3D environments,

Apple developed a novel unibody CNC milling approach to create the MacBook’s seamless aluminum enclosure. Instead of bending or assembling many small pieces, Apple started with a solid extruded 6063 aluminum billet and machined away material using computer numerical control (CNC) mills. “Apple has invented a whole new way of building notebooks from a single block of aluminum,” Steve Jobs proclaimed in 2008.

In his work on the Apple Watch, Ive oversaw the introduction of specialized materials: a 7000-series aluminum that is about 60% stronger than standard alloy for the Sport model, and an 18-karat gold for the Edition model that’s twice as hard as normal gold.

He also was involved in the pact with Corning that helped popularize ion-strengthened glass known as Gorilla Glass and Apple’s “Ceramic Shield” later.

Throughout Ive’s tenure, Apple adopted novel manufacturing processes to achieve design goals. For instance, for the ultra-thin iMac (2012) chassis, Apple used friction-stir welding (a technique from aerospace) to join aluminum parts that were too thin for traditional welding.