The News

After ex-Apple executives came together to build what they fanatically and enthusiastically called the future of personal AI, the end of the smartphone, the partner in everything, after raising $230 million, and spending six years to ship an AI Pin that costs $700, followed by disastrous results, as it shipped with a fraction of the features it promised, was barely usable, quickly got recalled because of overheating concerns of its charging case, and then trying to sell itself for $1 billion, they just got partially acquired for $116 million (remember? they raised $230 million) by HP, the printer company.

My Thoughts

What a success, right?

But there is more. Folks who bought that AI pin for $700 can continue using it for 10 days (until February 28, 2025)... after that it will stop working, I mean it will not fully stop working, since although, it will no longer connect to Humane's servers, you will still be able to use it for offline features, like checking the batter level.

A screenshot of an important update notice for Ai Pin customers. The notice announces the winding down of the consumer Ai Pin product, with key information about device timeline, feature discontinuation, and data access. The message includes details about service termination on February 28, 2025 at 12pm PST, and instructions for customers to download their data before permanent deletion. The notice begins with a thank you message to early adopters and is formatted with a clear heading and bullet points outlining the changes.
A FAQ section titled 'Functionality & Service' with three questions about the Ai Pin shutdown. The questions address: 1) whether the Ai Pin will work with other cellular providers (no), 2) if the phone number can be ported to another device or carrier (no), and 3) if offline features will still work (yes, but limited to basic functions like battery level). Each question is followed by a detailed explanation of the service limitations after the February 28, 2025 shutdown date.

Great.

This will go down as one of the biggest Silicon Valley misfires of the history.

Conclusion

Humane introduced the AI pin in late 2023, and the whole company downfall began from there. HP's deal will include the majority of Humane's employees in addition to its software platform and intellectual property. The acquisition will not include Humane's AI pin device business, hence, it will wind down. Humane's founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, as well as other employees, will form a new division at HP to help integrate artificial intelligence into the company's personal computers, printers, and connected conference rooms.

What a journey. From building and designing a non-functional AI wearable, that was overpriced, did not solve any of technology's problems, now produced a ton of waste, to helping inject artificial intelligence into... in-house printers.

On another note, I recommend reading this beautiful analysis of why you can't build Apple with Venture captial by Ben Sandofsky, which he published in April 2024, after the disastrous launch of the Humane AI Pin.

Till next time! 👋‌‌‌‌

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