Humans are once a startup that promised to redefine how people interact with AI, and they call it quits. According to an exclusive report from Bloomberg, the startup has shut down its AI PIN business and is selling assets to HP for $116 million after poor reviews and sales declined.
Founded by former Apre veterans, the company raised around $241 million from well-known investors, including Microsoft and Openai CEO Sam Altman. However, after burning $230 million, the company was unable to gain traction.
Humane said Tuesday that the transaction includes most of its employees, including its software platform and intellectual property. A spokesman for HP revealed that the acquisition does not cover the AI PIN device business.
“Humane HP is a critical tool to acquire key AI capabilities from humanitarian to key AI capabilities, including AI-powered platform cosmos, highly skilled technical talent, and intellectual property with over 300 patents and patent applications. We announced the agreement. With this acquisition, HP’s transformation is moving towards a more experience-driven company,” Humane said in a press release.
According to the report, HP will acquire Humane’s technology, including COSMOS operating systems, intellectual property and technical teams. The plan is to integrate these assets into a new AI Innovation Lab aimed at enhancing HP’s AI capabilities in personal computing.
“HP Inc. will acquire $116 million from Humane Inc., the manufacturer of wearable AI PINs introduced in late 2023. The transaction includes software platforms and intellectual property as well as humanity. The company said Tuesday that it included most of its employees. Bloomberg reported that, citing a spokesman for the HP, said it had reported.
AI PIN, a wearable device that relied on voice assistance, struggled from the start. Early reviews were cruel, with many users citing poor functionality and lack of user experience. One of the biggest hits came from Tech Reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), whose scathing reviews reached around 20 million YouTube subscribers.
Orders plummeted, and returns ultimately outperformed sales. Last year, reports surfaced that the product was not functioning as advertised. Currently, Humane has confirmed that the AI pin will remain functional until February 28th, and then it will lose connection to the company server. This means that calls, messaging, and AI queries stop working.
In the case of HP, the acquisition is betting on AI-driven personal computing. For humanitarians, it’s the ending that led to what was once one of the most hyped AI hardware startups.
We featured the humanitarian story in June 2024 when a six-year-old was reportedly looking for a potential buyer following the lukewarm reception of AI PIN wearables.
Humanitarian AI Pin, once touted as a potential “smartphone killer,” has been suffering from a barrage of negative reviews since its launch in April. Public feedback was overwhelmingly important.
Humane was promoting the AI PIN, a device designed to be worn on a lapel as a smartphone exchange. It promised features such as creating calls, sending text, and running search queries via voice control. Priced at $699, the AI PIN also requires a $24/month data subscription for T-Mobile.
However, when humanitarians handed out AI pins to gadget reviewers in April, the reception was less than the star. Many reviewers found it unreliable and unrealistic, with descriptions ranging from “more scientific projects than finished products” to “completely broken” and mere “party tricks.”
In April, a source familiar with the company’s business confirmed CNBC didn’t meet humanitarian expectations, but noted that it’s common for hardware startups to face challenges when launching. I did. Sources said the company was about six months behind the schedule, but it wasn’t surprising given the ambitious nature of the project.
Founded in 2018 by former Apple designer and married couple Imran Chowdri and Bethany Bongiono, the man who created a lot of talk when they launched the $699 AI Pin in November 2023. As a smartphone alternative, users can use voice commands to make calls, send texts, and access information. It boasts a laser display that converts the palm into a miniature screen. This can display time, date, or nearby information.
Last year, Humane secured $100 million in funding from LG’s Venture Arm and Microsoft, Tiger Global, before unveiling the device, bringing its total funding to more than $200 million. Notable supporters include Openai CEO Sam Altman and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff.
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