Apple’s iPhone designer Jony Ive joins forces with OpenAI in $6.5 billion move to build the future of AI devices

Sir Jony Ive — the man who helped shape the iPhone, iMac, iPad, and more — is officially joining OpenAI in a $6.5 billion deal that’s making serious waves in the tech world. The plan? To build a whole new kind of AI-powered computer.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman couldn’t be more excited. “He’s the greatest designer in the world,” Altman said, adding that the two have already been working together behind the scenes for a while now. “We’re reimagining what using a computer could feel like,” he added in a video message.

A New Chapter: From Apple to AI

After spending 27 years at Apple — and playing a massive role in its global revival — Jony Ive left the company in 2019 to start his own design firm, LoveFrom. Since then, he’s worked with big names like Airbnb and Moncler. But behind the curtain, he was also quietly collaborating with OpenAI.

That partnership eventually led to the creation of a startup called io, which aimed to design new hardware from the ground up, fully centred around AI. Now, OpenAI is bringing that company into its fold to officially kickstart the journey.

Jony Ive will now be leading design at OpenAI, and it sounds like something truly next-gen is coming. “The first product we’re working on has completely captured our imagination,” he said. Altman even tried a prototype and said it might just be “the coolest piece of tech the world will have ever seen.”

Why This Partnership Matters

Let’s face it — AI tools like ChatGPT have taken off, but hardware designed to make them truly useful in daily life? That’s been tricky. Many attempts have flopped. But with Ive’s design brilliance and OpenAI’s AI expertise, this new duo is hoping to change that.

They’re not just talking about tweaking laptops or phones — they’re talking about completely rethinking what a personal computer is.

This isn’t just exciting for the tech world — it’s historic. The person who helped put the iPhone in our hands is now working on what might be the next big thing in AI.

The Impact? Already Visible

Interestingly, right after the news broke, Apple’s shares dropped over 2%. It’s a sign of how big a deal this is. Ive’s influence clearly still runs deep, and his move to a potential rival space is being watched closely.