In a video and a letter signed “Sam & Jony”, Altman and Ive say io, founded in 2024 by Ive, Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan will develop new products
Update! It's this: — openai.com/sam-and-jony/ Emma Jacobs / @emmavj : Your dad introducing his new partner — openai.com/sam-and-jony/ Kate Knibbs / @knibbs : but what are they actually making???? openai.com/sam-and-jony/ Kate Bevan / @katebevan.com : Quite apart from anything else, I never trust anyone who centres text, for God's sake. openai.com/sam-and-jony/ Frederic Lardinois / @fredericl : The Altman/Ive wedding video is maybe the least self-aware announcement to come out of Silicon Valley in a long time. openai.com/sam-and-jony... Laurie Voss / @seldo.com : OpenAI is buying Jony Ive's non-existent AI hardware product for $6.5bn. That sure is a lot of money for something that doesn't exist, far less has any customers. openai.com/sam-and-jony/ Dave Karpf / @davekarpf : There's like an 83% chance that Jony Ive just capsized his legacy for a huge wad of OpenAI stock. — They're launching with a 10-minute product announcement video with NO PRODUCT! Just two buddies sharing how world-changing brilliant they each think the other is. — www.theverge.com/news/671838/ ... Steve Kovach / @stevekovach : Jony Ive poached Apple's best designers to take on the iPhone. [embedded post] Mastodon: Harry McCracken / @harrymccracken@mastodon.social : Maybe they're going to make something incredible. But the expections will be so through-the-roof that even making something pretty cool could feel like an enormous disappointment. https://www.bloomberg.com/... David Smith / @_Davidsmith@mastodon.social : I gotta imagine that it is no coincidence that the background music for the Jony Ive/OpenAI collaboration announcement video is “Making Water” from The Martian soundtrack. A scene where science, engineering and creativity combine to solve an initially insurmountable problem. … Threads: Vishwanath Sarang Keller / @vishwanathsarangkeller : Just me or the Sam Altman and Jony Ive announcement video looks like a 90s romcom? X: @openai : Sam & Jony introduce io [video] Alli / @sonofalli : we saw you from across the bar and we'd like to open your AI [image] Juan / @juanbuis : i love how jony's introducing sam like he's a new iPhone he's still got it! [video] Ben / @benhylak : if sam was steve, sam would've made a jony. Ben / @benhylak : there simply is not some secret other thing that you can not conceive of. details are what makes something beautiful and functional. that's why apple announces things when they're ready... (usually) @iconredesign : Fun fact: This is the very first appearance by Jony Ive in a product video of any kind since the introduction of Mac Pro at WWDC 2019 on June 3, 2019 [video] Charles Patterson / @charlespattson : The product is in plain sight for all to see. Just open your eyes and take a look. [image] Quinn Nelson / @snazzylabs : “sam has the best family jony is so humble i love san francisco because all of the worlds taste is made here jony is the best designer in history sam is the biggest visionary of my life jony has designed the future of computers no you did, sam” - jony/sam glazefest 2025 Mat Dryhurst / @matdryhurst : The post screen era will be a great good No doomscrolling or attention hacks. Work while walking. Rethink public spaces. Social media will be in person. Tell me there's not going to be more demand for art and music when we don't spend 8 hours a day in front of a screen Ben Adam / @benadam11 : This page looks like a funeral invitation “In loving memory” https://openai.com/... Damien C. Tanner / @dctanner : This is going to solidify voice as the interface for AI for a whole generation. People who grow up with this io device will expect all apps to talk to you. Like how my kids today try to use the non existent touchscreen on laptops. @richlightshed : Striking how much this feels like an Apple new product launch video — how can you not be excited for the future of @OpenAI watching this @sama Jason Fried / @jasonfried : If I had to guess, whatever they make together will not have a screen. This would be the true divergence from devices today. Screens are obvious, breaking away would be the move. So the guess would be some sort of AirPod-style thing that is audio only. Audio feels future. @0xcharlota : renaissance era for designers Ian Silber / @iansilber : can't wait to work closely with Jony, LoveFrom and io to create the future or computing Bobby Thakkar / @bobbythakkar : Sorry but no. Jony is not a “visionary” Jobs was. And no stripe interview is gonna fix that. Jony's last years at Apple produced zero. I haven't seen a single interesting thing from LoveFrom. He doesn't understand today's users, please retire. @nrehiew_ : This video is generated btw. almost entirely pretty sure Taha / @tahahossain_ : if you need any more proof that designers are the most valuable people in the world right now (and will only become more valuable) Judah / @joodalooped : i am 90% sure this thing is generated in some way - the cups keep moving around - the color grading is AI-esque - the people moving in the background feel very very fake (especially the waiter at 4:41) - the bokeh never focuses on paintings etc. Kristof / @thuleanfuturist : Ok wait a minute, I just rewatched it really closely and I actually think this is ai generated. When they're talking they don't look at eachother directly, their eyes land on abstract points, very much like a video game character in a cutscene Sam Sheffer / @samsheffer : holy mother of all things holy https://openai.com/... Simon Taylor / @sytaylor : Sam and Jony introduce IO... Why is the video shot like a weird romcom?! This is actually super cringe https://openai.com/... Marat Berenstein / @maratberenstein : The new Simon and Garfunkel. https://openai.com/... LinkedIn: Chester Chipperfield : SAS is dead, long live hardware. — The announcement today about the OpenAI and Jony Ive partnership underlines how the tide continues to shift to hardware. … Maxmillian Minichetti : I don't post on here often. But when I do, I prefer to post about Mode Wearables. — OpenAI's $6.5B deal to acquire Jony Ive's AI hardware company … Matt Wyndowe : Excited to have Jony and team join us and reimagine what it means to interact with AI. — https://openai.com/... Thomas Lewis : 🤔 Connecting the dots here... OpenAI in its change of structure wants to be a consumer brand company. … Aaron McReynolds : This feels like a significant moment in technology history. — Jony Ive and Sam Altman have merged. … Forums: r/BetterOffline : oh jfc r/singularity : Sam and Jony introduce io Beehaw : Apple legend Jony Ive takes control of OpenAI's design future Ars OpenForum : Apple legend Jony Ive takes control of OpenAI's design future MacRumors Forums : OpenAI Buys Jony Ive's AI Startup to ‘Completely Reimagine What It Means to Use a Computer’
Context & Ripple Effects
The announcement follows reporting that OpenAI had already taken a minority position in io in 2024 and was moving to fully acquire the company, making the public partnership the visible product-facing step in a deeper relationship.
It also lands as major platforms test different ways to distribute generative AI: Apple’s prior system-wide AI integration emphasized embedding capabilities across existing devices rather than introducing a separate product category.
First-order effects
- io’s founding team—Jony Ive, Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan—becomes a dedicated product-development group aligned with OpenAI’s AI platform.
- OpenAI gains a clearer route to turn its models into products designed around a distinct hardware and software experience, rather than relying only on third-party app and device integrations.
Second-order effects
- The effort increases pressure on device makers and AI companies to clarify whether their AI strategy is best served by upgrading established products or building purpose-made hardware.
- Apple becomes a particularly relevant comparison point: io’s founders bring product-design experience associated with Apple, while Apple has pursued AI primarily through integrations across its existing ecosystem.
Third-order effects
- If OpenAI can convert its model capabilities into a compelling consumer product, AI competition could shift further from model access toward industrial design, supply-chain execution, and distribution.
- The announcement is an early signal that leading AI labs may seek tighter control over the end-user device layer; whether that produces a durable new hardware category remains unproven.
The trend: AI leaders are increasingly pairing model development with product and hardware talent to control more of the user experience.