OpenAI’s hardware ambitions are accelerating—and Apple is feeling it. According to a new report from The Information, OpenAI has been recruiting from Apple’s hardware, design, manufacturing, and supply chain teams as it builds “AI-native” devices—an effort tied to Jony Ive’s io group now inside OpenAI.
OpenAI isn’t just hiring; it’s strategically targeting Apple’s best. The company has recruited more than two dozen Apple employees this year alone. These aren’t entry-level hires—they include seasoned experts in user interfaces, wearables, cameras, and audio engineering.
For instance, Cyrus Daniel Irani, who led Apple’s human interface design team for 15 years, is now on board. Then there’s Matt Theobald, who has nearly 17 years in manufacturing design, and Erik de Jong, who helped steer the Apple Watch hardware team. What’s luring them away? Generous compensation packages, the chance to reunite with former Apple leaders like Ive, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan, and the thrill of building something entirely new rather than tweaking existing products.
It’s not just people—OpenAI is eyeing Apple’s manufacturing partners too. The company has secured a deal with Luxshare, a major assembler of iPhones and AirPods, to build at least one of its upcoming devices. They’ve also approached Goertek, which handles components for AirPods, HomePods, and Apple Watches, specifically for things like speaker modules.
OpenAI has floated ideas for several AI-native products, but discussions with suppliers reportedly include a screen-less smart speaker, glasses, a digital voice recorder, and a wearable pin—with first devices tentatively targeting late 2026 to early 2027. That range is plausible for new category hardware, but timelines can slip.
If OpenAI ships something compelling, it could pressure Apple to accelerate its own AI-native hardware ideas rather than relying solely on on-device model upgrades.
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