“Openai” enters the world of artificial intelligence devices with the largest acquisition in its history

Openai plans to acquire the start -up company specialized in artificial intelligence devices, which was co -founded by the veteran designer at Apple Johnny Ev, in a deal of about 6.5 billion dollars that are completely across the stocks, allied with this legendary designer to enter strongly in the field of devices.

This deal – the largest in the history of “Oben AI” – gives the company a unit dedicated to developing artificial intelligence devices. Also, the acquisition of this emerging company that surrounds its work with confidentiality, called “IO”, will also ensure Ev’s accession and a group of former designers in “Apple” who were behind iconic products such as “iPhone”.

Consumer technology
“I think it is increasing that everything I have learned over the past thirty years has led me to this moment specifically. It is a common relationship and a working way I think it will bear fruit for very many products.”

For British -born designer, this step is a strong return to the field of consumer technology, a field that had a pioneering role in its formation. Eve has worked for years alongside “Steve Jobs” and contributed to the design of modern smartphones, along with devices such as “iPod”, “iPad” and the “Apple Watch” watch. He had left Apple in 2019.

Upon leaving Ev, “Apple”, CEO “Tim Cook” stated that cooperation between the two parties will continue, but that no product was issued later as a result of this cooperation. Now, Eve opens a new partnership with Altman, who described him as “with a rare vision.”

Jobs, designer Ev, once described as his “spiritual partner”, so his involvement in designing competing products may be seen as a bad vow to Apple, who is already facing difficulties in competition with artificial intelligence. For his part, Altman said that “Jobs would have been very proud” by the new Eve step.

A new form of computing
“We will start in” Oben AI “produced with unprecedented quality in the world of consumer devices. Artificial intelligence is a huge shift in terms of what people can do, and it needs a new form of computing to extract its maximum capabilities.”

Apple shares fell 2.3% on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. The company has contributed to 17% low from the beginning of this year until the closure of Tuesday.

As part of the deal, the “Oben AI” pays $ 5 billion in shares against “IO”. As for the remaining part of a total of about 6.5 billion dollars, it comes from a partnership reached in the last quarter of last year, and included the acquisition of “Oben AI” on a 23% stake in “AO”.

In a separate context, the “Opin AI” startup in Ev has invested during the same period. The list of investors also includes billionaire Lauren Paul Jobs through her company “Emerson Collective”, along with “STTER Hill Ventures”, “Thrive Capital”, and “Mavrick Capital”, “Thrive Capital”, and “Mavrick Capital”, (MAVERICK CAPITAL), and SV Angel. “Oben AI” confirmed that Altman has no share in “AO”.

“Opin AI” devices
The deal is expected to be completed during the summer, in pursuant to obtain regulatory approvals. It will provide a acquisition of “iO” about 55 engineers, programming developers, and manufacturing experts for “Oben AI” – a team that will build what Ev and Altman expect to be a series of devices. They said they had already begun to explore some initial ideas for nearly two years.

The duo expects that their first equipment will be a completely new product. “People are eager to something new, which shows a general feeling that prevails in uncomfortable about what is currently available.” The first IF and Atman devices are scheduled to be launched during 2026.

After leaving “Apple” 6 years ago, Ev founded Lovefrom, a group that includes designers and engineers. The team includes a number of Apple employees from the departments of devices and software, in addition to friends and partners who had previously cooperated with it.

Apple’s old team “Apple”
During the past year, Ev participated in the establishment of the “iO” company with former colleagues in “Apple”, Scott Canon, Ivan Hanaki and Tang Tan. Hanaki had left Ev in “Apple” and stayed in the company until 2023, while Tan led the design of “iPhone” and “Apple Watch” until 2024. As for Canon, he worked in “Apple” before participating in the establishment of the famous Mailbox email application, which was later acquired by Dropbox.

In iO, the team began to develop, design and manufacture a set of products for the era of general artificial intelligence, a stage in which technology reaches knowledge -like cognitive capabilities. The team will now continue this task within the “Oben AI”, thus pose a potential threat to the devices that these designers themselves have previously created.

This is an additional challenge for Apple, which has retracted its competitors in the Silicon Valley in the artificial intelligence race. The company’s artificial intelligence system, which was launched last year, lacks the capabilities of competing systems, and is partially dependent on the “Chat BT” robot to fill some gaps.

“IPhone” will not be affected
Nevertheless, Elves and Ametman do not see that “iPhone” will fade soon. “In the same way in which the smartphone has not been used to use a laptop, I do not think our first product will cancel the smartphone,” Altman said.

“The phone, in its current form, is an amazing, multi -use device. People will communicate with artificial intelligence with completely new ways,” said Ev.

“Oben AI” was established about ten years ago as a research institution, but it has turned into a leading force in artificial intelligence after the launch of “Chat BT” during 2022. Its market value has increased to $ 300 billion, and is currently seeking to expand its presence through acquisitions, including a $ 3 billion deal to buy Windsurf company specialized in software specializing in software Artificial intelligence coding.

The “Oben AI” has also made a change in its administrative structure this month, as Fidji Simo – the former CEO of “InstaCart” – appointed the position of the CEO of applications. Its reports are to be submitted directly to Altman, which allows him to focus on the general strategy.

Hanki, who will join “Oben AI” with Tan and Kanon, said that the launch of “Chat BT” caused them to realize that devices technology need re -thinking. She added in an interview: “A number of us said to each other that these are probably the most surprising techniques in our career.”

“Opin AI” design
Although Eve and Laf Farum will remain independent, they will take over the design of everything related to “Oben AI”, including software. Altman explained that his first conversation with Ev was not on the devices, but about how to improve the interface of the “Chat BT” interface.

“We are still in a final stage of the form of interaction with artificial intelligence as it is today. We have not yet discovered the equivalent of the graphic user interface, but we will do that,” 40 -year -old Altman said.

Ev that Laf Forum includes a number of former designers in “Apple” who contributed to the design of “Mac” and “iPhone” operating systems, including Bass Ording, Mike Mattas, and Chris Wilson. They may contribute to the redesign of the “Obin AI” application to suit a new generation of users.

“Laf Furome” is expected to continue its current relationships with agents such as “Ferrari” and “Airbnb”, but it will not receive new big projects. The new devices team within the “Oben AI” Peter Willer, whose reports will be submitted directly to Altman as Vice President of the Products.

It is one of his twin sons, Charlie, who knew him on the “Chat BBT”, and when he used it for the first time, he felt the need to meet Altman. The new team intends to continue its work from the current headquarters of the “iO” in the Jackson Square neighborhood of San Francisco, along with the current “Oben AI” offices.

A similar experience for “Apple”
“I have always felt that the most important and most beneficial work is still in the future,” Elif said, adding that he was “training” for this moment. The experience likened to what Apple was in the late nineties and early first decade of the millennium, before the launch of “iPod” and “iPhone”. He added, “I am very grateful because we found each other.”

Although Eve and Atman did not reveal the details of the products they work on, they are preparing to enter a market that is still in its early stages. Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is one of the most prominent companies producing artificial intelligence devices currently, as the smart Ray Ban glasses equipped with cameras and microphones provide information related to the context on the surrounding environment.

On the other hand, there were general failures, such as the “Humane AI PIN” and personal assistant “Rabet R1”. “These were very weak products. New ways of thinking were absent in the form of real products.”

As for Tan, who had a pivotal role in developing every version of “iPhone” within the Department of Devices Engineering in “Apple”, he said that the new team does not adhere to any “technical heritage”, which gives it an opportunity to re -think in this field. Nevertheless, the production of an actual product will take time.

“It will be worth waiting,” Altman said.