OpenAI's Hardware Plans Have a Bigger Problem Than Apple's Lawsuit
OpenAI's plans to build and sell an AI device undeniably hit a bump in the road this month when Apple filed a lawsuit against the ChatGPT maker, alleging...
Key points
- OpenAI's plans to build and sell an AI device undeniably hit a bump in the road this month when Apple filed a lawsuit against the ChatGPT maker, alleging that former Apple employees stole trade secrets when they left Apple to join OpenAI.
- Specifically naming Apple's former 24-year hardware chief Tang Tan and software engineer Chang Liu in the lawsuit, Apple claims OpenAI "wrongfully took Apple's secret and confidential information." The lawsuit alleges impropriety by these job-hoppers.
- OpenAI's hardware ambitions OpenAI got serious about the idea of an AI device in 2025, accelerating its plans and public image with the acquisition of io Products, led by famed former Apple designer Jony Ive.
- So if OpenAI is building devices only for work tasks -- like the $230 limited edition Codex keypad -- are there enough hard-core AI users willing to shell out for these devices?
What happened
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OpenAI's plans to build and sell an AI device undeniably hit a bump in the road this month when Apple filed a lawsuit against the ChatGPT maker, alleging that former Apple employees stole trade secrets when they left Apple to join OpenAI. Specifically naming Apple's former 24-year hardware chief Tang Tan and software engineer Chang Liu in the lawsuit, Apple claims OpenAI "wrongfully took Apple's secret and confidential information." The lawsuit alleges impropriety by these job-hoppers. OpenAI's hardware ambitions OpenAI got serious about the idea of an AI device in 2025, accelerating its plans and public image with the acquisition of io Products, led by famed former Apple designer Jony Ive. So if OpenAI is building devices only for work tasks -- like the $230 limited edition Codex keypad -- are there enough hard-core AI users willing to shell out for these devices? For companies like OpenAI, which are building both the software and the hardware, the possibility of selling devices -- popular and well-priced, ideally -- could bring in some much-needed revenue as they continue to burn through billions of dollars on development. Meta is not the only one, but it's by far the industry...