“I think we have the opportunity here to completely reimagine what it means to use a computer.” -Sam Altman

OpenAI has officially acquired io, a secretive hardware startup co-founded by legendary designer Jony Ive and top Apple veterans Evans Hankey, Tang Tan, and Scott Cannon. The announcement, which included a reflective video conversation between Sam Altman and Ive, signals a turning point: OpenAI is moving beyond software to design a new class of physical AI products—starting with what may be the first AI-native device.

The two leaders describe their collaboration as a convergence of shared values, a belief that technology should be empowering, intuitive, and accessible—not locked behind legacy interfaces or reserved for a technical elite.

“I want this to be democratized,” said Altman. “I want everybody to have it. I don’t want it to be the tiny percentage of the population that figures out how to use bad tools.”

The formation of io, Ive explains, was a direct response to that vision. The company assembled an elite team of engineers, researchers, and hardware experts, many of whom helped design and ship Apple’s most iconic products. But even with all that talent, both he and Altman recognized the need for something bigger. The merger with OpenAI represents the synthesis of world-class design, advanced AI research, and next-generation computing platforms.

Altman teased the potential impact of their first product, describing a prototype device from io as “the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen.” He also highlighted the constraints of today’s tools, like laptops, which still require typing into a web browser to access intelligence that lives in the cloud. “This technology deserves something much better,” he said.

At its core, the partnership appears to be about redefining the interface between humans and AI—building devices that don’t just contain intelligence, but feel like collaborators. The ultimate goal is to collapse the distance between thought, creation, and action.

"We are literally on the brink of a new generation of technology that can make us our better selves.” - Jony Ive

While specific product details remain under wraps, the tone of the announcement is clear: this is not just about making hardware. It’s about inventing a new category of computing—one rooted in empathy, possibility, and the full power of generative AI.