OpenAI "on track" for hardware launch this year – Jony Ive's team nabs another former Apple employee to help out

We’ve heard a lot of chat about OpenAI in the news recently, but not necessarily for the reasons you might think.

The company is probably best known for its ChatGPT service, but while that often appears in the news for various different reasons, it’s actually the company’s collaboration with Jony Ive’s io company that keeps making headlines.

There was a recent report claiming OpenAI was looking to take on Apple’s AirPods with its own set of wireless earbuds. That suggested we could see an announcement around September, in line with when Apple usually announces it’s new iPhone.

What's the latest with OpenAI's hardware project?

Since then, another exclusive report has surfaced on Axios (via 9to5Mac) saying: “OpenAI is 'on track' to unveil its first device in the second half of 2026." That came from OpenAi's own chief global affairs officer, Chris Lehane.

He also said that the firm was “looking at something in the latter part [of 2026]."

And while that doesn't necessarily mean an actual product will be available to consumers, even just an announcement this year would be exciting, given former Apple's former design head, Jony Ive, is involved.

There’s extra news too – another former Apple employee has joined Ive’s design team at OpenAI.

Janum Trivedi, who worked for Apple between 2019 and 2021, having created numerous features for iPadOS 15 (according to his LinkedIn page), is now a member of the design staff at OpenAI.

His responsibilities are to “design across OpenAI, io, and LoveFrom”, so there’s every chance he could help with the final hardware products set to be unveiled.

Whether that is guaranteed to make them as much of a hit as some of Apple’s most popular products remains to be seen for now, but the momentum surrounding OpenAI’s move into hardware is certainly interesting.