Jony Ive, popularly known as iPhone designer, is joining OpenAI after his artificial intelligence (AI) hardware startup io was acquired by the OpenAI in a deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion. This move signifies OpenAI's strategic expansion into AI-integrated hardware development. Jony will join Open AI in a creative role.

The acquisition of John’s firm, Io, is the largest in OpenAI’s history. It includes OpenAI’s existing stake in Io and aims to integrate the startup more closely with OpenAI’s research and product teams in San Francisco.

John Ive and his creative collective, LoveFrom, will lead design and creative responsibilities for the merged entity. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman emphasized the mission of creating a family of AI-powered devices that inspire creativity, with product details expected to be revealed next year.

John is best known for closely collaborating with Apple’s Steve Jobs to develop the company’s most famous products. A pivotal figure in shaping modern consumer technology, John played a key role in designing the aesthetics and user experience of Apple’s most iconic products such as, iMac (1998), iPod (2001), iPhone (2007), iPad (2010), and Apple Watch (2015), along with the sleek, minimalist interfaces of macOS and iOS. In recognition of his contributions, he was knighted in 2012 for services to design and enterprise.

 

John will be assuming deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI and Io as part of the deal.

 

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This announcement negatively impacted Apple’s stock, which dropped by 2 percent, as investors expressed concerns about Apple’s slower-than-expected rollout of its own AI software, Apple Intelligence. Apple had previously partnered with OpenAI in 2024 to bring ChatGPT capabilities to its platforms. The market broadly declined, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite falling 1.6 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively.