Remember OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Jony Ive, and that secret AI device they’ve been cooking up?
You know—the one everyone’s been taking wild guesses at for months?
Well, we finally have some real clues about what they’re building—and more interestingly, what they’re not.
Weirdly enough, all the tea spilled thanks to a trademark lawsuit from a tiny startup with a very similar name.
Here’s what went down:
OpenAI’s new hardware team, called io (yep, short for input/output), got slapped with a lawsuit by a startup called Iyo—who claims OpenAI is stepping all over their brand name.
And Iyo’s device? A yet-to-be-released, in-ear audio computer (basically a smart headphones with attitude).
But here’s the twist: OpenAI knew about Iyo.
They literally asked to demo their product… Then went ahead and used a near-identical name anyway. Yikes.
But here’s the important part: The lawsuit forced OpenAI to reveal some things they probably weren’t ready to share yet.
And what we learned? Actually kind of epic.
The upcoming OpenAI device won’t be in-ear or wearable. So nope—not some AI-powered AirPods whispering brilliance while you sip your latte.
The first version isn’t dropping until 2026 at the earliest. And….
It’s still in prototype mode, in fact, the final design is yet to be locked in.
Still… They were clearly considering earbuds.
Internal emails show they bought over 30+ headphones to test, looked into 3D scans of ears, and had serious convos about ergonomics.
Oh, and get this: Sam Altman turned down an investment offer from Iyo, saying he’s working on “something competitive.” (Which… let’s just say, doesn’t look great when you're getting sued.)
So what does all this mean?
Well first, the mystery AI device isn’t going in your ears. It’s not arriving anytime soon. And OpenAI’s gotta untangle this messy lawsuit before unveiling anything to the public.
Bottom line: OpenAI’s hardware dreams might be further off—and way more complicated—than we thought.
The device is still under wraps, the lawsuit’s unfolding, and honestly? It’s starting to feel less like a product launch and more like the opening episode of a new HBO miniseries.
You can catch the drama here.
