OpenAI’s recent acquisition of the AI hardware startup io—co-founded by legendary industrial designer Jony Ive and several former Apple design leaders—could mark a pivotal moment in the evolution of AI-driven consumer devices.
Valued at nearly $6.5 billion, the deal brings roughly 55 io employees, including hardware engineers, software developers, and manufacturing experts, into OpenAI’s fold. Alongside Ive, this ex-Apple “dream team” features Marc Newson, Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan—all of whom have shaped some of the world’s most iconic products.
Jony Ive – Chief Design “Visionary”
Sir Jony Ive served as Apple’s Chief Design Officer & SVP Design for over two decades, spearheading the dawn of the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch with Steve Jobs’ guidance. Their minimalist, human-centered approach defined Apple’s aesthetic and user experience. After departing Apple in 2019, Ive co-founded the design collective LoveFrom (with Marc Newson) and later launched the AI hardware startup io. While Ive will not join OpenAI full-time, LoveFrom will take on overarching design responsibilities across OpenAI’s software and new hardware.
Marc Newson – Industrial Designer
Marc Newson is an acclaimed industrial designer whose collaborations with Jony Ive have spanned custom furniture for Remains Gallery to special-edition consumer products for Ferrari. Co-founder of LoveFrom, Newson brings a distinct design sensibility—marked by fluid forms and meticulous craftsmanship—that complements Ive’s vision for next-generation AI devices. At this point, it’s unknown if Newsom will be part of the io team merging into Open AI or if he will he remain an eternal consultant as part of the LoveFrom team.
“Very few people have the level of perfection we do. It is actually very sick … it is neurotic.” — Marc Newson, reflecting on the obsessive attention to detail he and Ive bring to their work.
Evans Hankey – Industrial Designer
Evans Hankey succeeded Jony Ive as Apple’s Vice President of Industrial Design in 2019. Over her 20-year tenure, she led teams responsible for the iPhone 12–14 series and the transition to M1 MacBooks, upholding Apple’s emphasis on precision and user empathy.
“Most of the pressure comes, I think, from us [the design team]… Once a new model feels ‘inevitable’… we know we have a lot to do, but at least the foundation is solid.” — Evans Hankey, on the iterative, high-standard culture instilled by Ive.
Tang Tan – Product Designer
Tang Tan served as Apple’s Vice President of Product Design, overseeing the look, feel, and engineering integration of the iPhone, Apple Watch, and related accessories. His leadership of the acoustics team also influenced products like AirPods. After leaving Apple in February 2024, Tan co-founded io and now brings his expertise in marrying form with function to OpenAI’s hardware ambitions.
“This is an extraordinary moment. Computers are now seeing, thinking and understanding… Despite this unprecedented capability, our experience remains shaped by traditional products and interfaces.” — Tang Tan, on reimagining interaction paradigms for AI hardware.
Scott Cannon – Hardware Engineer
Scott Cannon is a veteran hardware engineer whose contributions at Apple spanned Mac and iPad product operations and internal tooling. He later co-founded the email app Mailbox (acquired by Dropbox). At io—and now OpenAI—Cannon will apply his deep experience in large-scale hardware development to realize AI-native devices.
“We gathered together the best hardware and software engineers… Many of us have worked closely for decades.” — Jony Ive, on launching io with Cannon and others.
Behind the Scenes: Apple’s Reaction?
Given Jony Ive’s longstanding personal and professional relationship with Tim Cook—and their shared closeness to Steve Jobs—it seems unlikely that Apple’s senior leadership was entirely surprised by the io acquisition. As outlined in the book After Steve, while Ive and Cook didn’t share the same affinity with each other as they did with Jobs, both men respected each other and agreed to disagree on the future vision for Apple when Ive departed in 2019.
We would speculate that Cook and other top executives were likely briefed informally ahead of time, if not given a tacit blessing. This would be both out of respect for Ive’s legacy and to maintain strong ties with a design luminary whose vision has long defined Apple.
Our coverage of Open AI buying Jony Ive’s hardware company:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
