OpenAI has officially completed its acquisition of io, the startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. However, the company is now carefully referring to the startup as “io Products Inc.”- a change likely made to avoid legal issues.
The original announcement about the deal was taken down from OpenAI’s website due to a trademark dispute with a different company named Iyo, a hearing device startup that came out of Google’s experimental lab. That blog post is now live again, but with an updated message to reflect the branding changes.
“We’re thrilled to share that the io Products, Inc. team has officially merged with OpenAI. Jony Ive and LoveFrom remain independent and have assumed deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI,” the updated post states.
The startup is expected to play a key role in OpenAI’s plans to create new AI hardware. Jony Ive is best known for designing some of Apple’s most iconic products. Ive and his design firm LoveFrom will lead creative and design work at OpenAI but will continue to operate independently.
Also read: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs Z Fold 6: Price, camera, display, battery, features and more
OpenAI had originally announced the deal with a video featuring its CEO, Sam Altman, and Jony Ive. In that video, Altman explained that the goal is to create a family of AI devices that help people use AI to create “all sorts of wonderful things.”
The closing of the deal marks a new chapter for OpenAI, as it teams up with one of the most influential designers of our time. Together with Jony Ive, the company is set to reimagine how users interact with AI through thoughtfully designed hardware.
Also read: Apple’s design team will report directly to Tim Cook after Jeff Williams’ exit