HP Acquires Humane for $116 Million, Discontinues AI Pins
Humane, a hardware startup, made headlines on Tuesday with the announcement of its acquisition by HP for $116 million. As part of the deal, Humane will be ceasing sales of its $499 AI Pins immediately. Customers who have already purchased the Pin have been notified that their devices will no longer function after 12 PM PST on February 28, 2025, as stated in a blog post.
Following the cutoff date, AI Pins will no longer be able to connect to Humane’s servers, rendering them incapable of calling, messaging, AI queries/responses, or cloud access. Humane advises AI Pin owners to transfer any important photos and data to an external device promptly.
The company also plans to dissolve its customer support team for the AI Pin on February 28.
The acquisition by HP marks the end of Humane’s brief foray into the hardware market. The startup gained attention in April 2024 when it launched its AI Pin, positioning it as a smartphone alternative. Co-founded by ex-Apple employees Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri, Humane raised over $230 million for the development of the device.
However, the AI Pin failed to meet expectations, leading to a crisis for the company. Reports indicated that returns for the AI Pin surpassed sales at one point, and customers were advised to discontinue using the device’s charging case due to battery fire concerns. In response to the underwhelming reception, Humane slashed the price of its AI Pins by $200 in October.
HP’s acquisition of Humane includes the transfer of engineers and product managers to form a new group called HP IQ, described as an “AI innovation lab” focused on integrating AI across HP’s products and services for the future of work. HP will also acquire Humane’s CosmOS AI operating system, which has shown potential for integration into various devices like cars, smart speakers, TVs, and phones.
Humane had previously explored a sale in May 2024 for a higher price range of $750 million to $1 billion, according to a Bloomberg report.
As of now, Humane has not responded to requests for comment from JS.
