OpenAI is buying Jony Ive’s AI hardware company

OpenAI is buying io, a hardware company founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, the two companies announced on Wednesday.

“We gathered together the best hardware and software engineers, the best technologists, physicists, scientists, researchers and experts in product development and manufacturing,” Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a joint post. “Many of us have worked closely for decades. The io team, focused on developing products that inspire, empower and enable, will now merge with OpenAI to work more intimately with the research, engineering and product teams in San Francisco.”

The deal is valued at nearly $6.5 billion, Bloomberg reports.

Developing…