Openai buys designer iPhone Jony Ive Device launch for $ 6.4 billion

Openai said on Wednesday that he was buying AI Jony Ive AI $ 6.4 billion in an agreement on all capital, which strongly pushes artificial intelligence into the world of equipment.

Ive assumes “deep creative and design responsibilities throughout Openai and IO”, the company said. Openai said that yo goes to himself, and his “creative team” called Lovefrom will remain independent.

In A Message in the blog On Wednesday, Openaii CEO Sam Altman and Aves stated that Io found Ive a year ago, as well as graduates of Apple Scott Canon, Tan and Evans Hanka, who briefly assumed the role of quince after he went.

“The IO team, focused on the development of products that inspire, expand opportunities and inclusion, is now merged with Openai to work more closely with scientific, engineering and products in San Francisco,” the statement reads.

Openai said it pays $ 5 billion because it already owns 23% of the company. Altman wrote in Message on x What he thinks is the “greatest designer in the world”.

The purchase today is the largest and comes a few weeks after the company has agreed to purchase the AI ​​-Support AI Tool for Coding, Winding $ 3 billion. Before this Openai has acquired an analytical company on database Rock for the undisclosed amount in 2024.

I announced in 2019 that he Leaving AppleWhere he was a long -standing design director to start Lovefrom. said Airbnb In 2020 This Ive counted with the hiring company and future products. The New York Times report Last year, lovefrom customers pay the firm up to $ 200 million a year and that its designers at the time worked on projects for Christie’s, Airbnb and Ferrari.

On its Lovefrom site says it was founded by Ive and designer Mark Newson, but it says nothing about what the company does or includes a mention of IO.

Ive is responsible for developing AppleThe most iconic products, including iPod, iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air. It also helped to develop a new Cupertino Cupertino CuperTino headquarters called Apple Park, a project that began in 2004 and a campus opened in 2019.

News about acquisition come as Openai, which has recently been estimated by $ 300 billion in A Round of funding Led by Softbank, seeks to stay forward in the generative race where competitors, including GoogleAnthropic and Elon Musk XAI invests large funds and regularly conducts new products. Part of the stay in this race includes the attraction of the equipment.

For further equipment, Openai hire former supervisor Meta In November, the Orion of Supplemental Reality Initiative to head their robotics and the efforts of consumer equipment. Kaytlin “CK” Kalinouski wrote in a statement at the time that the role “initially focused on the work and partnerships of Openai to help bring the II into the physical world and unlock its benefits to humanity.”

Also in November, Openai put into physical intelligenceA startup -root, based in San -Francisco, who raised $ 400 million while estimating $ 2.4 billion. Other investors included Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos. The startup is focused on the “AI General Purpose Introduction into the physical world”, according to its website, developing large -scale AI models and algorithms for Power robots.

See: Me and Altman are united