On Tuesday, Humane confirmed its acquisition by HP for $116 million. The hardware startup has promptly halted sales of its $499 AI Pins. A notification on its website informed customers who have already bought the device that it will cease functioning by the end of the month—specifically at 12 PM PST on February 28, 2025, as indicated in a blog post.
After that date, the AI Pins will lose connectivity to Humane’s servers, rendering them unable to make calls, send messages, or even access AI queries and responses, as well as the cloud. The company is urging AI Pin users to back up their important photos and data onto external devices as soon as possible.
Additionally, Humane announced it would disband its customer support team for the AI Pin on February 28.
This announcement marks a swift end to the brief but impactful journey of the hardware startup. In April 2024, Humane launched its AI Pin, aiming to replace smartphones. Established by former Apple employees Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri, the Bay Area startup secured over $230 million in funding to develop the device.
However, many initial reviews and customer feedback were less than favorable, leading to a challenging situation for the startup. Notably, last summer, the rate of returns for the AI Pin began to exceed sales, as reported by The Verge. To compound the issue, the company also advised customers to refrain from using the device’s charging case due to battery fire hazards, and in October, it slashed the price of the AI Pin by $200.
HP plans to bring aboard Humane’s engineers and product managers, as detailed in the announcement. These individuals will comprise a newly formed unit within HP known as HP IQ, touted as an “AI innovation lab aimed at creating an intelligent ecosystem across HP’s products and services for the future of work.”
Furthermore, HP will gain access to certain technologies developed by Humane, including the CosmOS AI operating system. Recent advertisements from Humane hinted that this AI software could operate in a variety of devices, from car entertainment systems to smart speakers, TVs, and Android phones.
Earlier in May 2024, Humane was reportedly seeking a much higher acquisition price, ranging from $750 million to $1 billion, according to a Bloomberg report.
As of now, Humane has not responded to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
This story is still unfolding…
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