OpenAI aims to penetrate Apple’s “core territory,” referring to OpenAI’s strategic moves to compete with Apple in the hardware sector and challenge Apple’s core ecosystem.
Recent media reports indicate that OpenAI is poaching Apple’s “veterans,” including designers, hardware engineers, and wearable device experts. In May 2025, OpenAI acquired io Products, a hardware company founded by Apple’s former chief designer Jony Ive, for approximately $6.5 billion, gaining access to a top-tier industrial design team and full-process development capabilities from concept to mass production.
In terms of the supply chain, OpenAI has signed a collaboration with Luxshare Precision, which will help OpenAI mass-produce an AI device described as “pocket-sized and context-aware.” Additionally, OpenAI has partnered with Goertek for audio components. Furthermore, OpenAI has contacted both Broadcom and TSMC, planning to mass-produce its self-developed reasoning chips as early as 2026, aiming to build full-stack technological capabilities.
OpenAI’s actions, from talent acquisition and supply chain penetration to chip development, all target Apple’s core competitive areas. Its hardware strategic layout has entered a substantial phase, attempting to replicate Apple’s “software-hardware integration” model and build an open platform centered around AI, creating competition with Apple’s closed ecosystem.
