Humane, a company founded by former Apple employees Imran Chaudhry and Bethany Bongiorno, has been in the news lately. Rumors are circulating that the company is looking for a buyer for its AI Pin business. According to a report from The New York Times, HP could be a potential contender to buy Humane. Talks about a potential sale began about a week after AI Pin received widely negative reviews. The reported sale price is over $1 billion. This asking price matches a previous report from Bloomberg, which mentioned that Humane was seeking a price between $750 million and $1 billion.

The $699 wearable AI computer, AI Pin, failed to impress reviewers. Critics highlighted several issues with the device, including performance and overheating problems. In response to these criticisms, Humane did not handle the feedback properly. They blamed the negative reviews on a lack of optimism and even sent out warnings to customers about the charging case being a fire safety risk.

Overheating of the device was a significant problem. Reports suggest that Humane executives had to use ice packs to keep the AI ​​Pin cool enough to function properly. This was a clear sign that the product was not adequately tested before release. Further complicating these issues, a senior software engineer was reportedly fired in February for questioning the AI ​​Pin’s readiness for launch. The dismissal was said to be a violation of Humane’s policy against negative internal conversations.

Current and former employees have revealed that Chowdhary and Bongiorno ignored warnings about the AI ​​Pin’s poor battery life and high power consumption. Instead of addressing these concerns, they prioritized positivity over constructive criticism. This approach did not bode well for the company, which received only 10,000 orders for the AI ​​Pin as of early April. This number is far short of their goal of selling 100,000 units within the year.
In an interview with the New York Times, Bongiorno acknowledged the challenges faced by AI Pin, saying, “You don’t know everything before you launch.” Chowdhary also expressed regret, mentioning that he wished they would have handled some issues differently. Despite the setbacks, the company is optimistic about the future of its product.

Humane’s AI Pin has faced a number of challenges since its launch, which has led the company to consider selling its business to a potential buyer like HP. Negative reviews, overheating problems, and internal conflicts have highlighted the difficulties faced by the company. As Humane tackles these challenges, it will be interesting to see how they adapt and if they can turn things around. For the time being, the fate of AI Pin and its potential sale to HP remains uncertain.