OpenAI’s secret ChatGPT hardware gets a boost from 40 former Apple employees, here’s what we know
Sam Altman’s OpenAI and former Apple designer Jony Ive have been working on AI hardware for some time. According to a new report, an AI firm is on a poaching spree and has poached 40 key Apple staff members in the last month alone.
Former Apple chief designer Jony Ive is currently working with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, for AI hardware. Ive’s startup, io, was acquired by an AI firm for $6 billion earlier this year. Now, as the Sam Altman-led company ramps up development of its first hardware products, it has set its sights on Apple employees.
Why is OpenAI attracting Apple employees?
According to Bloomberg, OpenAI hired more than 40 people from Apple for the hardware division just last month. The report suggests that the new hires include not only high-level directors and managers, but also several engineers from almost every major Apple hardware department.
Previously, Jony Ive’s design studio, LoveFrom, also staffed mostly former Apple employees.
Following the acquisition of Jony Ive’s startup by OpenAI, Altman and Ive indicated that the company’s first AI hardware product could debut in 2026. The influx of former Apple employees is notable for its breadth and depth. Apple’s former industrial design chief Evans Hankey and hardware engineering executive Tang Tan are among those who have joined OpenAI’s hardware projects.
The expertise of the recruits could give OpenAI a big boost in the development of hardware projects. So far, the ChatGPT manufacturer has not launched its own hardware.
Apple is working on improving its AI hardware
Apple, for its part, is actively pursuing its own AI-powered hardware projects led by John Ternes. These projects are said to include smart home devices, new robotics efforts, potential AI-powered AirPods with cameras, and smart glasses.
The sudden loss of experienced engineers at OpenAI could impact Apple’s ability to meet these ambitions, especially as the company navigates a competitive landscape for advanced hardware design and AI integration. The report also says that Apple is not happy with the way the AI company is losing key staff members.
Apple has also lagged behind in the AI race, especially when it comes to personal assistants. The Cupertino giant has reportedly agreed to pay Google $1 billion for Gemini-powered Siri, which is scheduled to launch next year.
