OpenAI and Jony Ive Preview Emotional Hardware

At Dev Day, former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discussed a concerted hardware effort aimed at reshaping how people relate to technology. Ive described today’s relationship with devices as “uncomfortable” and said the goal is hardware that helps users feel “happy, fulfilled, peaceful, less anxious, and less disconnected.” Following OpenAI’s acquisition of Ive’s startup io (reported at $6.5B in May), his team has generated 15–20 product concepts intended as a “family of devices” rather than shoehorning AI into legacy products — which he called “absurd.”

Altman emphasized that creating “a totally new way to use a computer” will take time and a compelling reason to launch new form factors, signaling there’s no immediate consumer release. The conversation frames OpenAI’s hardware work as an intentional pivot toward emotional well‑being and reduced device addiction, but also sets expectations that any product rollout will be patient and iterative rather than imminent.

Source