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Appears from the outside as a very expensive aquihire but if you're getting the guy who essentially created the iPhone it could be worth it.

by brentm 1y ago

dbbk 1y ago
But they're not getting him. Jony isn't included in the deal.
- jermaustin1 1y ago
  He has $5B reasons to help them though.
- brentm 1y ago
  They are according to WSJ: > Jony Ive, a chief architect of the iPhone, and his design firm are taking over creative and design control at OpenAI, where they will develop consumer devices and other projects that will shape the future look and feel of AI. https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/former-apple-design-guru-jony-ive-to-take-expansive-role-at-openai-5787f7da?mod=hp_lead_pos4 https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/former-apple-design-guru-jony-iv...
  - dbbk 1y ago
    The Verge says otherwise > Ive won’t be joining OpenAI, and his design firm, LoveFrom, will continue to be independent, but they will “take over design for all of OpenAI, including its software,” in a deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion https://www.theverge.com/news/671838/openai-jony-ive-ai-hardware-apple https://www.theverge.com/news/671838/openai-jony-ive-ai-hard...
    - bredren 1y ago
      “Including its software…” That’s a remarkably big product scope to own! Are we talking about Devex workflows from docs on getting fed through Ive’s group? The Verge must have this wrong, it doesn’t make sense and I don’t think Ive would be interested in maintaining design on ChatGPT’s web client. Besides, only Anthropic beats the UX of ChatGPT. It would seem like a mistake to dismiss the authority of the folks who have built that product up.
paxys 1y ago
Ive is a good designer sure but "essentially created the iPhone" is absurd. It took thousands of engineers and product visionaries to bring that device together, and OpenAI isn't getting any of that. You aren't going to replicate its success by hiring the guy whose major contribution was insisisting that all Apple products be a few millimeters thinner in every iteration.
- woah 1y ago
  Lots of companies were making smart phones with similar specs. Under Johnny Ive's management, the Apple version made a much bigger splash than any of them and defined the category.
  - timschmidt 1y ago
    Arguably HP/Palm's WebOS devices were ahead on every mark - easier to use, more featureful, smarter, better physical design than any iPhone of similar manufacturing date. The difference was management choosing to stick with a platform for long enough for network effects to kick in. If Apple has any advantages compared to other big tech, it's an ability to look past next quarter's financials.
    - waffletower 1y ago
      Palm offerings in 2007, such as the Treo 755p or the Centro, could not compete hardware-wise with the original iPhone. The claim that these Palm phones were "easier to use" is hilarious to me, and probably hilarious to many others.
      - timschmidt 1y ago
        I explicitly mentioned WebOS, meaning the devices released around 2009, which competed with 1st gen iPhone old stock, and directly against iPhone 3G - the second generation. The first gen iPhone is not a smartphone by today's standards. No multitasking, no copy/paste, no centralized instant messaging, all things WebOS devices had on release. Even the second generation of iPhones felt half baked by comparison. Which just goes to illustrate my point, that they weren't technologically superior, just more committed.
always_imposter 1y ago
[dead]

Appears from the outside as a very expensive aquihire but if you're getting the guy who essentially created the iPhone it could be worth it.

by brentm 1y ago

Appears from the outside as a very expensive aquihire but if you're getting the guy who essentially created the iPhone it could be worth it.

dbbk 1y ago

But they're not getting him. Jony isn't included in the deal.

jermaustin1 1y ago
He has $5B reasons to help them though.
brentm 1y ago
They are according to WSJ: > Jony Ive, a chief architect of the iPhone, and his design firm are taking over creative and design control at OpenAI, where they will develop consumer devices and other projects that will shape the future look and feel of AI. https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/former-apple-design-guru-jony-ive-to-take-expansive-role-at-openai-5787f7da?mod=hp_lead_pos4 https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/former-apple-design-guru-jony-iv...
- dbbk 1y ago
  The Verge says otherwise > Ive won’t be joining OpenAI, and his design firm, LoveFrom, will continue to be independent, but they will “take over design for all of OpenAI, including its software,” in a deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion https://www.theverge.com/news/671838/openai-jony-ive-ai-hardware-apple https://www.theverge.com/news/671838/openai-jony-ive-ai-hard...
  - bredren 1y ago
    “Including its software…” That’s a remarkably big product scope to own! Are we talking about Devex workflows from docs on getting fed through Ive’s group? The Verge must have this wrong, it doesn’t make sense and I don’t think Ive would be interested in maintaining design on ChatGPT’s web client. Besides, only Anthropic beats the UX of ChatGPT. It would seem like a mistake to dismiss the authority of the folks who have built that product up.

paxys 1y ago

Ive is a good designer sure but "essentially created the iPhone" is absurd. It took thousands of engineers and product visionaries to bring that device together, and OpenAI isn't getting any of that. You aren't going to replicate its success by hiring the guy whose major contribution was insisisting that all Apple products be a few millimeters thinner in every iteration.

woah 1y ago
Lots of companies were making smart phones with similar specs. Under Johnny Ive's management, the Apple version made a much bigger splash than any of them and defined the category.
- timschmidt 1y ago
  Arguably HP/Palm's WebOS devices were ahead on every mark - easier to use, more featureful, smarter, better physical design than any iPhone of similar manufacturing date. The difference was management choosing to stick with a platform for long enough for network effects to kick in. If Apple has any advantages compared to other big tech, it's an ability to look past next quarter's financials.
  - waffletower 1y ago
    Palm offerings in 2007, such as the Treo 755p or the Centro, could not compete hardware-wise with the original iPhone. The claim that these Palm phones were "easier to use" is hilarious to me, and probably hilarious to many others.
    - timschmidt 1y ago
      I explicitly mentioned WebOS, meaning the devices released around 2009, which competed with 1st gen iPhone old stock, and directly against iPhone 3G - the second generation. The first gen iPhone is not a smartphone by today's standards. No multitasking, no copy/paste, no centralized instant messaging, all things WebOS devices had on release. Even the second generation of iPhones felt half baked by comparison. Which just goes to illustrate my point, that they weren't technologically superior, just more committed.

always_imposter 1y ago

[dead]