While tech giants have been battling for AI supremacy in the software arena, OpenAI just changed the game entirely. The company acquired io Products for a staggering $6.5 billion in stock, bringing design legend Jony Ive and his team into the fold. The deal, finalized on July 9, 2025, marks the culmination of a two-year collaboration between OpenAI and Ive's LoveFrom design firm. Talk about a power move.

The acquisition merges io Products' team of approximately 50 engineers, designers, and researchers with OpenAI's existing workforce. Co-founders Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan are now OpenAI employees, while Ive and LoveFrom remain technically independent. They'll still lead design responsibilities, though. Wilson Sonsini handled the legal side of things for Ive and LoveFrom. Pretty standard corporate stuff. The project emphasizes ethical AI principles in accordance with IEEE and UNESCO frameworks.

What's not standard is what they're building. The initial product won't be a wearable or in-ear device but something portable and contextually aware. It'll sit on your desk or in your pocket, right alongside your Mac or iPhone. No screens necessary. The team's ambition? Creating AI products that move beyond traditional interfaces—devices that actually fit into our lives without being obnoxious about it.

The future of AI isn't wearable—it's portable, invisible, and finally designed to exist alongside us, not dominate us.

Let's be honest—our current tech is showing its obsolescence. Ive himself pointed out that existing devices are decades old and desperately need innovation. Smartphones? Ancient history. Laptops? Practically dinosaurs. Sam Altman, as CEO of OpenAI, personally announced the acquisition and shared his excitement about the collaboration's potential. The partnership aims to create something genuinely new.

The collaboration blends OpenAI's AI expertise with LoveFrom's design prowess. Their shared optimism drives the project forward, with both sides believing they can enhance human achievement through technology. It's a significant shift in the competitive landscape—while other companies focus on software improvements, OpenAI is rethinking the entire hardware experience. The official announcement of the purchase was made in May 2025, creating buzz throughout the tech industry.

Will they succeed? Who knows. But with $6.5 billion on the line and Jony Ive's design sensibilities at the helm, they're certainly not playing it safe. The tech world just got more interesting.