OpenAI’s Jony Ive AI project lures engineers away from Apple

OpenAI’s Jony Ive AI project is shaking up Silicon Valley’s hardware landscape, with the company pulling engineers directly from Apple.

According to industry reports, more than 40 engineers have left Apple in recent weeks to join the OpenAI initiative.

The departures span major divisions, including iPhone hardware, silicon engineering, industrial design, testing, and Apple’s next-gen wearables.

For Apple, which has been trying to reboot its own hardware strategy with AI-driven devices, the departures arrive at a delicate moment.

Ive’s close ties to Apple have long made him a magnet for former colleagues, but this new phase, backed by OpenAI’s resources, is accelerating the shift.

The pair plan to launch the first wave of AI-powered consumer devices as early as next year, signaling a bold challenge to Apple’s hardware dominance.

Notably, the partnership between OpenAI and Ive was strengthened after OpenAI acquired Ive’s device startup, io, in a $6 billion deal.

While Apple is quietly frustrated, OpenAI sees the momentum as essential to its future. 

The collaboration aims to redefine what AI-native hardware can be, positioning the effort as one of the industry’s most closely watched projects.