Humane’s AI Pin is dead, as HP buys startup’s assets for $116M

# Humane # Ai Pin

On Tuesday, Humane revealed that HP has snapped up most of its assets for a cool $116 million. As a result, the hardware startup is pulling the plug on sales of its $499 AI Pins right away. If you've already got one, heads up: your device is set to go offline for good at noon PST on February 28, 2025, according to their blog. Once that deadline hits, your AI Pin won't be able to connect to Humane's servers anymore. That means no more calling, messaging, AI queries or responses, or cloud access. Humane's urging all AI Pin owners to quickly back up their important photos and data to another device. Humane's also planning to disband its AI Pin customer support team on February 28. If you bought your AI Pin within the last 90 days, you're in luck—you can get a refund. But if you snagged one before that, sorry, you're out of luck. This news marks the end of the road for the once-hyped hardware startup. Humane made waves back in April 2024 when they launched the AI Pin, touting it as a smartphone killer. Founded by former Apple folks Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri, the Bay Area company had raised over $230 million to bring this device to life. Sadly, the AI Pin didn't live up to the hype for many early adopters and reviewers, putting Humane in a tough spot. At one point last summer, returns were actually outpacing sales, according to The Verge. To make matters worse, Humane had to tell customers to stop using the device's charging case over fears of battery fires. In October, they slashed the price from $699 to $499. HP's acquisition includes Humane's engineers and product managers, who will form a new group called HP IQ. This "AI innovation lab" will focus on building smarter tech across HP's products and services, aimed at reshaping the future of work. HP's also getting its hands on some of Humane's tech, including the CosmOS AI operating system. Humane had recently shown off how this OS could power everything from car entertainment systems to smart speakers, TVs, and Android phones. This could be a game-changer for integrating AI into HP's PCs and printers. Back in May 2024, Humane was hoping to be acquired for a much heftier sum, somewhere between $750 million and $1 billion, according to Bloomberg. Humane hasn't responded yet to TechCrunch's request for comment.

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