OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Apple designer Jony Ive’s hardware company is reportedly not building a wearable device. On Sunday, the company removed its “io” branding from everywhere due to a trademark lawsuit. Now, as per the report, court filings for the suit have revealed that the artificial intelligence (AI) device in the works is not a wearable. However, there is still not a lot of clarity over what it really is. Notably, the court filings have reportedly also revealed that the device will not be launched before 2026.
Altman and Ive Reportedly Not Working on a Wearable
On Sunday, OpenAI removed its announcement video about the partnership with Ive, as well as any web pages and blog posts that mention the word “io,” which was the name of the venture. Later, in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the official handle of the OpenAI Newsroom issued a statement saying that the announcement page was temporarily taken down due to a trademark complaint from iyO.
Interestingly, iyO, an AI startup, was spun out of Google’s Moonshot Factory. According to a TechCrunch report, it is developing an AI in-ear device that can connect with other devices, and alleges that io is also working on a similar product. The Google-backed AI startup reportedly also filed documents highlighting that OpenAI and io executives met with iyO’s team, and the latter presented a demo of their in-ear device. OpenAI stated that “We don’t agree with the complaint and are reviewing our options.”
Representatives of OpenAI and io have reportedly stated that the companies purchased more than 30 different headphones to explore the recent trends in the market, downplaying the allegation. Now, a new 26-page declaration to the court by Tang Tan, the Co-Founder and Chief Hardware Officer of io Products, and a former Apple executive, reveals that the under-development device is not a pair of earphones or headphones.
Tang claimed that the prototype mentioned by Altman in io’s launch video “is not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device.” He also highlighted that io was not planning to sell any product for at least another year. Notably, Altman has also previously stated during an internal staff call that the AI device being developed is not something that can be worn on the body.
He did claim, however, that it would become the “third core device a person would put on their desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone.”