OpenAI is acquiring Jony Ive and Sam Altman's startup, io, which will lead creative and design work for OpenAI.

Jony Ive, Apple’s former head of design, will take over design at OpenAI after the Sam Altman-led company acquired Ive’s hardware startup in a deal valued at $6.5 billion, with the new pairing expected to unveil a product within the next year as a potential competitor to Ive’s former employer.

OpenAI forms a new hardware division with the io team, led by Jony Ive, to develop AI-native devices, possibly launching a voice-first product as early as 2026.