OpenAI has removed all online references to its acquisition of Jony Ive’s AI hardware company, IO Products, following a trademark challenge. This move raised concerns over the $6.5 billion deal’s viability, confirmed by spokespeople for both OpenAI and Ive as a response to a lawsuit from IYO Inc., which claims trademark issues. Ive condemned the lawsuit as “utterly baseless” and expressed intentions to fight it. The acquisition, announced earlier in May, marked a strategic shift for OpenAI towards hardware, aiming to produce a new line of AI devices within a year, potentially generating $1 trillion in valuation. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Ive highlighted the importance of their collaboration, focused on integrating AI with innovative design. While project specifics remain undisclosed, potential products might include devices akin to the Humane AI Pin or advanced robotics, reflecting years of collaborative efforts between Altman and Ive to create groundbreaking technology.
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