Former Apple design guru Jony Ive has confirmed that he is teaming up with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to build an AI-powered hardware device — nearly a year after rumors about the high-profile collaboration went public.
The still-quiet project is revealed in a new profile of Ive, who is known for working with late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs on many of the company's most iconic product designs, including the iPhone. Ive founded design firm LoveFrom in 2019 after leaving Apple.
During a meeting at the Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant Spruce last year, Ive and Altman discussed “how generative AI made it possible to create a new computing device”, according to the new York Timeswho interviewed Ive for the article.
Detailed information about the device is still scant, though Ive and Altman reportedly discussed how it would be capable of performing advanced tasks, such as booking travel or identifying a specific plant from a photo, far beyond the capabilities of a traditional smartphone.
The Times said the initial concept for the device is of an AI-focused device that is “less socially disruptive than the iPhone,” though it's still unclear whether it will be a rival smartphone or tablet.
The initial meeting between Ive and Altman was reportedly brokered by Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, who has hired LoveFrom to handle some design work for his rental booking platform. Chesky is considered a close friend of Altman.
After several meetings, Ive and Altman reportedly decided to pursue the project, with LoveFrom collaborating to design the device and OpenAI providing the software.
According to The Times, the project has already raised funding from Ive as well as Jobs' widow Laurene Powell Jobs, a prominent venture capitalist, who has invested in it through her company Emerson Collective.
In total, the startup could raise up to $1 billion from unnamed “tech investors” by the end of the year, the paper said, though it's unclear who else might be involved.
Ive has reportedly hired about 10 employees and spent $60 million for an office near LoveFrom's headquarters in San Francisco.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Initial appointments include Tang Tan, a former Apple executive who led the teams responsible for the design of the iPhone and Apple Watch. before the poaching last Decemberand Evans Hankey, who succeeded Ive as Apple's top designer before leaving in 2023.
Ivey-Altman Project First reported by The Information in September 2023. At the time, the outlet reported that Japanese investment firm SoftBank and its legendary chief Masayoshi Son took part in the preliminary talks,
The profile also revealed other details about the reclusive Ive's recent activities, including the disclosure that he has purchased real estate equivalent to about half a city block in the Jackson Square area of downtown San Francisco.
Ive has reportedly spent nearly $90 million of his personal wealth on real estate deals since 2020.
The tech executive told the Times that he was planning to make the area a hub to attract creative people to San Francisco, as many have left the city during the COVID-19 pandemic. A major renovation to the buildings is set to be completed late next year.
LoveFrom and an as-yet-unnamed AI hardware startup are headquartered in the same buildings they have purchased. Ive is also said to be planning a storefront to sell products designed by LoveFrom, including jackets and notebooks.
