OpenAI has agreed to acquire hardware startup io for $6.4 billion.
The startup was founded one year ago by former Apple designer Sir Jony Ive. His design firm LoveFrom will take over creative and design responsibilities across OpenAI and io.
The merger follows a two-year collaboration between Ive and OpenAI. It aims to create a new family of AI-native hardware products.
OpenAI said that some former Apple staff have joined the project. Reflecting the apparent threat, Apple's share price fell more than 2% after the announcement.
“A collaboration built upon friendship, curiosity and shared values quickly grew in ambition. Tentative ideas and explorations evolved into tangible designs,” said Sam Altman and Jony Ive.
OpenAI is the developer of ChatGPT. The io startup has not released any products publicly to date.
