Jony Ive and OpenAI's Sam Altman Seeking Funding for Personal AI Device

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple design chief Jony Ive have officially teamed up to design an AI-powered personal device and are seeking funding, reports The Information.

jony ive ipad pro
Little is known about the AI device at this time, but it won't look like a smartphone. Altman is a major investor in the Humane AI pin, a wearable AI device that does not have a screen, so it's possible he will create a similar product with Ive.

News of a possible partnership between Ive and Altman first surfaced last fall, but talks were in the early stages and nothing was official then. Ive and Altman's unnamed startup is now sourcing funds from major venture capitalists, with Ive aiming to raise up to $1 billion in funding.

OpenAI could own a piece of the business, and the duo has also been in talks with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Potential investors include Thrive Capital, an OpenAI investor, and Emerson Collective, a venture capital firm and philanthropic organization founded by Laurene Powell Jobs.

Ive left his role as Apple design chief in 2019, and while he still worked with the Cupertino company as a consultant for several years after through his firm LoveFrom, Ive and Apple stopped working together entirely in 2022.

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...

Top Rated Comments

jz0309 Avatar
24 months ago
instant NON-buy
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
a3Dman Avatar
24 months ago
Can't wait for its release video narrated by Ive himself.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrTemple Avatar
24 months ago
News from 5y from now: Despite the company's failure, Jony Ive still doesn't regret omitting the speaker holes, display, or indeed any way to interact with the device itself, repeating over and over his most memed moment of the catastrophic unveiling video:

"The lines of the unbroken uni-orb case took inspiration from the silver dew collected by the fine hairs of the ambrosia fruit at the exquisitely precise moment of sunrise on the autumnal equinox atop Mount Olympus itself."
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
24 months ago
People won’t want to carry around another device, and it won’t replace a smartphone, so… dead in the water?
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Harry Haller Avatar
24 months ago

Jony Ive designs revolutionary products at Apple that establish Apple in the mainstream.

Jony Ive leaves Apple.

Apple design products that are progressively worse.

Apple struggles to maintain innovative edge among increasing competition.

Jony Ive starts a new tech company that will become more Apple than Apple.
How has LoveFrom out Appled Apple in the last 5 years?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
24 months ago
It’s three devices in one: a Star Trek Communicator, a tricorder, and a phaser! Now that would sell.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)