OpenAI and Jony Ive’s startup deal has reached an end. What to expect next?

No lawsuit could stop the deal between two AI-oriented companies.

OpenAI has finalized a $6.5 billion deal to acquire an AI device company co-founded by Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief.

According to Bloomberg, the biggest investment in OpenAI’s history is supposed to equip the company with a unit to develop AI-powered devices.

The deal between OpenAI and AI hardware startup io was first announced in May. However, not long after, Sam Altman’s company was involved in a trademark dispute.

Another company with a similar name, iyO Inc., filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, which banned the company from using the “io” name due to its similarity to iyO Inc. This situation caused OpenAI to remove all of the material online indicating the partnership between Atlman and Ive’s companies.

The lawsuit also revealed some details about OpenAI’s first device. It was reported that the future device “is not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device.”

Perhaps iyO Inc.'s AI-powered in-ear device impacted the decision on what the company's first hardware should be.

Now, OpenAI sees its future gadget as a “third device” used alongside smartphones and laptops. Nevertheless, the device isn’t expected until 2026.