{"id":47833,"date":"2025-05-21T16:20:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T20:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=47833"},"modified":"2025-12-12T15:38:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T20:38:41","slug":"openai-acquires-jony-ives-io","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/21\/openai-acquires-jony-ives-io\/","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s io"},"content":{"rendered":"

OpenAI<\/a> (MacRumors<\/a>, Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

It became clear that our ambitions to develop, engineer and manufacture a new family of products demanded an entirely new company. And so, one year ago, Jony founded io with Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey and Tang Tan.<\/p>

We gathered together the best hardware and software engineers, the best technologists, physicists, scientists, researchers and experts in product development and manufacturing. Many of us have worked closely for decades.<\/p>

The io team, focused on developing products that inspire, empower and enable, will now merge with OpenAI to work more intimately with the research, engineering and product teams in San Francisco.<\/p>

As io merges with OpenAI, Jony and LoveFrom will assume deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI and io.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Mark Gurman and Shirin Ghaffary<\/a> (tweet<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Hankey, who will become an OpenAI employee along with Tan and Cannon, said that ChatGPT’s debut prompted a realization that hardware technology would have to change. “A number of us looked at each other and said, ‘This is probably the most incredible technology of our career,’” she said in an interview.<\/p>

While Ive and LoveFrom will remain independent, they will take over design for all of OpenAI, including its software.<\/em> Altman said his first conversations with Ive weren’t about hardware, but rather about how to improve the interface of ChatGPT.<\/p>

“We are obviously still in the terminal phase of AI interactions,” said Altman, 40. “We have not yet figured out what the equivalent of the graphical user interface is going to be, but we will.”<\/p>

LoveFrom has a number of former Apple designers who helped create the look of the Mac and iPhone operating systems, including Bas Ording, Mike Matas and Chris Wilson, Ive said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Emphasis added.<\/p>\n\n

Ryan Jones<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

Imagine 55 people being worth $6.5B.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

xgolwks<\/a>:<\/p>\n

What the other commenters are forgetting is that this is the same Sam Altman who planned and executed the extraction of Reddit from Condé Nast.<\/p>

This acquisition (and the Windsurf acquisition) are all-stock deals, which have the added benefit of reducing the control the nonprofit entity has over the for profit OpenAI entity.<\/p>

How do you extract the for profit entity out of the hands of a nonprofit?<\/p>\n

Step 1: you have close friends or partners at a company - with no product, users, or revenue - valued at 6.5billion.<\/p>\n

Step 2: you acquire that entity, valuing it unreasonably high so that the nonprofit’s stake is diluted.<\/p>\n

And now control of OpenAI (the PBC) is in the hands of for profit entities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Matt Sephton<\/a>:<\/p>\n

To think that Apple could have had this from Jony and team…but for whatever reason they chose to throw it all away.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Maybe someday we’ll hear more about why Ive and his team wanted to leave Apple, but it seems unlikely that this is what they’d have been doing had they stayed.<\/p>\n\n

John Gruber<\/a> (Mastodon<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\n

This is just a vibes teaser, but the vibe is a shot across the bow. It conveys grand ambition, but without pretension. To say I’m keen to get my hands on what they’re making is an understatement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

BasicAppleGuy<\/a>:<\/p>\n

How it started & how it’s going<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n