Jony Ive and Sam Altman Partner to Develop AI-Powered Personal Device

Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple's former design chief, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, have officially teamed up to design an AI-powered personal device, according to a report by The Information. The duo is seeking up to $1 billion in funding to create this next-generation consumer electronics product.

While details about the device are scarce, it is clear that Ive, who disrupted the industry with the iPhone in 2007, is not designing another smartphone. Interestingly, Altman is also a major investor in Humane AI, the creators of the new Humane AI Pin, a company founded by Ive's former Apple subordinates, Imran Chaudhari and Bethany Bongiorno, who played key roles in the development of the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Although rumours of a partnership between Altman and Ive have been circulating since 2023, this is the first confirmation of an official collaboration. The unnamed startup is seeking funds from major players in the venture capital space, with a target of up to $1 billion.

Reports suggest that OpenAI could also own a stake in the startup, and Altman and Ive have been in discussions with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, as well as Thrive Capital, a major OpenAI investor. The Emerson Collective, a venture capital fund run by Laurene Powell Jobs, the wife of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, is also involved in the project.

Ive left his role at Apple in 2019 to establish LoveForm, a boutique design firm, with Marc Newson. Since the passing of Steve Jobs in 2011, Ive had been gradually reducing his involvement at Apple. Despite gaining more responsibility when the human interface and hardware design teams merged under his leadership, Ive became more reclusive by 2015, focusing primarily on the construction of Apple Park. His last project at Apple was the Vision Pro, launched in February, which he continued to work on through LoveForm. However, LoveForm's contract with Apple was not renewed in 2022.

As Jobs' closest confidant, Ive remains close to Laurene Powell Jobs, which explains the involvement of the Emerson Collective in this new venture.