Hua Er Jie Jian Wen·2025-09-19 13:44Core Insights - OpenAI is aggressively entering the AI hardware market and attempting to attract talent from Apple, having recruited over 20 employees from Apple's consumer hardware division this year, significantly more than the approximately 10 hired last year [1][5][6] - OpenAI has established hardware manufacturing agreements with Apple's assembly partners, including Luxshare Precision and GoerTek, to produce components for its upcoming products [1][3] - The company plans to launch its first devices, which may include smart speakers without displays, glasses, digital voice recorders, and wearable pins, by late 2026 or early 2027 [1][3] Talent Acquisition - OpenAI's recruitment of Apple talent has accelerated following its $6.5 billion acquisition of io Products, a hardware startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive [5] - New hires include experienced professionals from Apple, such as Cyrus Daniel Irani, who previously led the human interface design team [5][6] - OpenAI is reportedly offering significantly higher compensation packages to attract Apple employees, with stock grants potentially exceeding $1 million [6] Collaboration and Competition - OpenAI's talent acquisition efforts may complicate its collaborative relationship with Apple, as both companies are currently discussing deeper integration of OpenAI's models into Apple's Siri [2] - OpenAI is leveraging Apple's established supply chain network in China to support its hardware manufacturing plans [3] - Despite its ambitions, OpenAI faces challenges in the hardware market, as previous attempts by other companies to compete with Apple's dominance in devices like the iPhone and iPad have struggled [4]