OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has put a highlight on non-public conversations main as much as a rival firm suing OpenAI over its upcoming gadget, io. On Tuesday, Altman posted screenshots of emails on X displaying messages between him and Jason Rugolo, the founding father of the Iyo listening to gadget startup that’s suing OpenAI. The emails present a largely pleasant trade the place Rugolo asks Altman for his help as Altman discloses a competing gadget.
“I’d love the chance to pitch you to speculate $10MM in my AI-meets-audio {hardware} firm, iyO,” Rugolo wrote in a March 4th message. “We’re launching the very best {hardware} interface to work together with AI-agents, after having obsessively centered on this downside since 2018.”
Altman declined the supply as a result of he was “engaged on one thing aggressive.” Then, Rugolo adopted up by asking whether or not OpenAI want to work with him, to which Altman replied he’d must ask former Apple designer Jony Ive, who he mentioned was “driving” the launch. OpenAI bought Ive’s AI {hardware} firm for nearly $6.5 billion final month.
The following emails occurred in Could, with Rugolo highlighting a few of the fixes Iyo made for a few of the “fails” that occurred throughout a demo proven to the OpenAI group. On Could twenty third, days after OpenAI introduced its buy of io — a reputation much like Rugolo’s startup — Rugolo despatched Altman one other e-mail. “I’m getting blown up on the names state of affairs,” Rugolo mentioned. “I wished to degree with you right here, I’m feeling a bit of weak and uncovered, david and goliath type. i simply wished to listen to from you instantly, are you critical and optimistic about doubtlessly bringing us in?”
In a Could twenty third e-mail, Peter Welinder, OpenAI’s VP of product, instructed Altman that he doesn’t “suppose there’s a match,” including that “Their gadget [Iyo’s] may be very orthogonal to ours and doesn’t actually work but.”
On June twenty second, OpenAI immediately scrubbed the “io” branding from its web site, later revealing that it was pressured to make the change as a result of a short lived restraining order granted as a part of Iyo’s trademark lawsuit, which was filed on June 9th. OpenAI’s {hardware} group testified that the io’s {hardware} isn’t “an in-ear gadget, nor a wearable.”
Within the lawsuit, Iyo alleges OpenAI knew concerning the startup and its expertise earlier than launching io, citing conferences with Altman’s funding agency and Ive’s LoveFrom design firm in 2022. Iyo additionally claims it shared details about its upcoming gadget when making an attempt to recruit former Apple designer Evans Hankey, who went on to co-found io.
“Jason rugolo had been hoping we’d put money into or purchase his firm iyo and was fairly persistent in his efforts,” Altman wrote in his put up on X. “We handed and had been clear alongside the way in which. now he’s suing openai over the title. that is foolish, disappointing and incorrect.”
Altman’s technique of litigating within the court docket of public opinion echoes OpenAI’s strategy to a lawsuit with Elon Musk, which the corporate has fought partly by dropping e-mail exchanges supporting its aspect of the story. Musk has made comparable strikes in court docket paperwork.
Rugolo responded to Altman’s put up on X, saying that he didn’t need to “battle” in public. “Actually simply suppose it’s tremendous dangerous kind for somebody such as you to be coming after me like this,” Rugolo posted. “I’m trying ahead to competing with you pretty on product; you simply can’t use our title. In another reply, Rugolo expanded on his relationship with Altman previous to the 2025 emails.
“When an investor you pitched every thing to, particularly such a strong one, tells you they’re now doing one thing aggressive… it’s only a horrible feeling,” Rugolo wrote. “the second he mentioned he had determined to do one thing aggressive, i ought to have instantly gotten clever… i bought performed fairly laborious, gave them every thing.”
Although OpenAI at the moment can’t exhibit the “io” branding, the corporate has mentioned that its cope with Ive remains to be taking place. OpenAI has asked the court docket to dismiss the case, calling Iyo’s argument “unfounded” and “untimely.”