Game Over For Humane? Wearable Startup Behind Flop AI Pin Said To Be Hunting For Potential Buyer Already

The future of Humane Inc., a startup once seen as a potential rival to the iPhone, is now uncertain. The company is reportedly exploring a sale following a lackluster reception of its AI hardware product.

What Happened: The brainchild of former Apple executives Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, is in talks with potential buyers seeking a sale price between $750 million and $1 billion, reported Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman.

According to The Information, investors valued it at $850 million last year. To date, the company has secured $230 million in funding from a notable list of investors, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

See Also: OpenAI’s New Model GPT-4o, Elon Musk’s High Regard For Ilya Sutskever And Microsoft’s China Move: This Week In Artificial Intelligence

The potential sale of Humane coincides with competitors’ expansions into AI hardware, including the Rabbit handheld device and Meta Platforms Inc.’s AI-powered Ray-Bans. However, none of these technologies have yet reached mainstream adoption.

Why It Matters: Humane’s AI Pin, which was expected to be a game-changer, was met with criticism upon its launch. The product, priced at $699, was faulted for issues related to reliability and practicality. Many tech maestros including Gurman and Marques Brownlee gave a scathing review of the product.

Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.

In fact, Brownlee’s review of the AI Pin as “The Worst Product I've Ever Reviewed… For Now,” also stirred up controversy about whether his critique would negatively influence Humane’s future. Although, Sam Sheffer, Humane's head of new media, appreciated Brownlee's “honest” review, viewing it as valuable constructive feedback.

Despite these challenges, Humane attempted to turn the tide by integrating OpenAI’s GPT-4o AI model into the device, promising improved speed and accuracy. However, it seems that this move may not have been enough to salvage the company’s prospects.

Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.

Read Next: Elon Musk Suggests Shifting ‘Consumer Desktops To Linux’ As Satya Nadella Promotes Microsoft’s New Windows AI Feature ‘Recall’ With Photographic Memory

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo via Shutterstock