OpenAI Hiring Engineers to Build the ‘World’s Most Innovative Mobile Devices’

OpenAI is currently hiring for multiple positions in the consumer hardware sector, fuelling speculation about what the company might develop for its upcoming device given its collaboration with former Apple design lead Jony Ive. 

The company is currently hiring for a hardware systems product designer, a hardware system design electrical engineer, and a wireless/inductive charging electrical engineer. 

In the job description for the hardware systems product designer, the company states that they’re looking for someone to help build the ‘next generation of world’s most innovative mobile devices’. 

For this role, the company is hiring an engineer with strong mechanical design skills, as well as expertise in design for manufacturability (DFM), design for assembly (DFA), tolerancing and dimensioning, and other relevant skills in the field. This role also seeks experience in component modules, including OLED/LCD displays, batteries, acoustics, and camera modules, as well as cellular & GPS systems, among others. 

For the electrical engineering design role, the company is seeking an individual with expertise in board and system-level designs to support schematic development, layout, bring-up, and validation of custom electronics. 

Furthermore, OpenAI is also seeking another electrical engineer with expertise in power transfer to ‘design and optimise next generation charging technologies for high performance hardware products’. The role likely involves building a wireless charging platform for an upcoming hardware device. 

“This smells like they're hiring for the io device, which probably [has] got a camera, small screen, and a mic in it,” said a user on X, speculating that it might be a smartwatch or a device like a Humane AI pin. However, the company has reportedly denied that it will design anything that can be worn.

This smells like they're hiring for the io device which is probably got a camera, small screen, and a mic in it. It's essentially a smartwatch or a Humane AI pin I think.

They went into excruciating detail on getting wireless charging working, so I'm guessing fast charging or an…

— Larry (@liminalsunset_) July 28, 2025

OpenAI recently announced a merger with io Products, a startup founded by Ive. AIM reached out to OpenAI to clarify if these hiring posts indicate anything about the nature of the product, but did not elicit a response at the time of publishing.