OpenAI CEO Sam Altman just said the company has a chance to “do the biggest thing” in its history: roll out 100 million AI-powered devices designed to sit on your desk, fit in your pocket, and integrate seamlessly into your daily life.
According to The Wall Street Journal, that was the promise Altman made to employees in a company-wide meeting Wednesday, detailing plans for a family of consumer hardware products created in collaboration with legendary Apple (AAPL-0.39%) design chief Jony Ive. Earlier in the day, OpenAI purchased Ive’s hardware startup, io, for $6.5 billion.
Altman framed the move as an opportunity to reshape how humans interact with machines — and a $1 trillion value-creation play for OpenAI.
The device — or devices — have been shrouded in secrecy since Ive and Altman started working together last year. Altman said, according to the Journal, that the device will be an AI “companion” that is fully aware of your surroundings, unobtrusively embedded in your life, and capable of changing how you interact with technology.
Not enough information?
Well, from what Altman and Ive have said: The device won’t be a phone. It won’t be a headset. And it won’t be a screen-first experience. (Both men have said they want to move away from screens). Altman reportedly told staff what they’re working on won’t be a phone or smart glasses. Ive had been skeptical of building wearable tech, which has largely flopped in the market (although Ive was successful with the Apple Watch).
According to the Journal’s reporting, Ive spoke about entering a “new design moment,” and Altman said the collaboration would result in a “family of devices.” The goal is to ship the first version of the device by the end of 2026. Altman claimed OpenAI could reach 100 million units sold faster than any company in history.
The device first took shape when Altman and Ive floated an idea: What if every ChatGPT subscriber had a purpose-built computer? But the duo soon realized that the existing hardware paradigms — keyboards, screens, and apps — weren’t enough. ChatGPT, they believed, was trapped in a legacy model: typing into a web interface — and waiting.
The vision now is more ambitious. Altman described the project in the meeting as an attempt to fulfill what he called the “sci-fi dream” of AI — a departure from typing, swiping, and screens.
The stakes are high. OpenAI is already burning through cash — the company is projected to lose $44 billion before eventually turning a profit in 2029 — and launching a category of consumer hardware is notoriously difficult. Humane, another AI device startup that was backed by Altman and staffed by ex-Apple veterans, recently flopped with its screenless AI Pin.
But the logic behind OpenAI’s latest bet seems strategic as much as it seems ambitious. Right now, Apple and Google (GOOGL-1.57%) control a large chunk of the platforms through which billions of users access generative AI, so OpenAI is looking to own the full stack — software, hardware, and user experience — before anyone else.
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