OpenAI is buying Jony Ive’s AI hardware company

OpenAI is buying io, a hardware company founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and several other former engineers from his time there, including Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan.

The deal is valued at nearly $6.5 billion, Bloomberg reports. About 55 hardware engineers, software developers, and manufacturing experts will join OpenAI as part of the acquisition. That includes Cannon, Hankey, and Tan. The first devices following the acquisition are set to launch in 2026.

In an interview with Bloomberg...