HP Acquires Humane's AI Software
HP Inc. will acquire AI capabilities from Humane for $116 million, including the Cosmos platform and a skilled team, to enhance its product ecosystem and create an AI innovation lab, HP IQ.
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HP Inc. has announced a definitive agreement to acquire key AI capabilities from Humane, including their AI-powered platform Cosmos, for $116 million. This acquisition aims to enhance HP's transformation into an experience-led company by integrating advanced AI functionalities across its product range, including PCs, printers, and conference rooms. Tuan Tran, President of Technology and Innovation at HP, emphasized that this investment will enable the development of devices that can efficiently manage AI requests both locally and in the cloud. The acquisition will also bring a skilled team of engineers and innovators from Humane into HP’s Technology and Innovation Organization, forming a new AI innovation lab called HP IQ. The co-founders of Humane expressed excitement about joining HP, highlighting the potential to redefine workforce productivity through their combined expertise. The transaction is expected to close by the end of February 2025, marking a significant step in HP's commitment to reinventing the future of work through technology.
- HP Inc. is acquiring AI capabilities from Humane for $116 million.
- The acquisition includes the AI platform Cosmos and a skilled team of engineers.
- HP aims to create an intelligent ecosystem across its devices and services.
- The new AI innovation lab, HP IQ, will focus on enhancing workforce productivity.
- The transaction is expected to close by the end of February 2025.
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- Many commenters express skepticism about the value of the acquisition, suggesting that Humane's product was a failure and not worth the $116 million price tag.
- There is a consensus that the AI Pin's features were underwhelming, with some users feeling misled about its capabilities.
- Several comments highlight the poor treatment of Humane's customers, particularly regarding the impending shutdown of services that will render their devices useless.
- Commenters draw parallels between this acquisition and past HP purchases that did not yield positive results, indicating a pattern of poor decision-making.
- Some users admire Humane's ambition despite the product's failure, noting the challenges of innovating in a saturated market.
46 comments> https://support.humane.com/hc/en-us/articles/34243204841997-...
The only feature they could think of was “battery level”? That’s hilarious
> Device Features: Your Ai Pin features will no longer include calling, messaging, Ai queries/responses, or cloud access.
For a $700 device that was on the market for less than a year, that is a not a stellar way to treat your customers. Fortunately it seems there were very few of those.
[0] https://support.humane.com/hc/en-us/articles/34374173951373-...
https://www.theverge.com/news/614883/humane-ai-hp-acquisitio...
> After the shutdown, offline features like “battery level” will still work, Humane says, but “any function that requires cloud connectivity like voice interactions, AI responses, and .Center access” will not.
I'd really like to know if the Humane PR flack typed that with a straight face.
They didn't start with a VC-friendly strategy of free-then-paid to acquire market share. There was an off-putting monthly subscription right at the start. No confusion about what this product's business model or target customer was.
Contrast that to the ham-fisted way Apple, Android and Microsoft are attempting to bootstrap their AI offerings by jamming it into successful hardware products and sneaking users into it with dark patterns to opt them in.
You couldn't even connect the Ai Pin to your phone ?! Lock-in makes sense but it was a very risky bet.
Essential viewing: Review of the Ai Pin - The Worst Product I've Ever Reviewed... For Now (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TitZV6k8zfA)
There's a lot to post-mortem here, but failures like these are part of an entrepreneurial culture.
I am glad someone will take the tech. But I am upset it is HP and I doubt they have a vision for the product.
(Since 1999 that is)
Humane rep: Here’s what we can do. We can just shut it down. The fine print says we can.
HP rep: Excellent! You’ll fit right in here at HP!
>The end of an AI hardware experiment. Lots of reasons this didn’t do well, from trying to get people to do something they don’t already do (wear a computer on their clothes) to poor execution. The research @IrenaCronin and I do shows glasses are the form factor but they are still years from having decent all color displays. Until then it will be hard to get people to use much other than their phones.
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40598742
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/6/24172718/humane-ai-pin-sel...
The only reason a dinosaur like HP is even buying out this no-name player.
Sounds easy but it took 6 years of hard work!
That thing failed to explain what it does and how. As one reviewer said, “with this battery, I can spend a whole day”.
Can’t believe they managed to find someone to buy this nothing-burger for $100m+.
These guys figured out an entire new category of hardware peripheral, and did what I understood to be some pretty cool engineering to make it work.
WHY do people push this closed off ecosystem stuff? Seriously I do not get it.
does spit-take
Related
Humane's daily returns are outpacing sales
Humane's AI Pin, launched at $699, has seen more returns than sales, with significant negative reviews, leadership turnover, layoffs, and efforts for financial stability through acquisitions and investor negotiations.
HP injects AI into its printers
HP has launched Print AI, a beta feature for printers that optimizes print jobs and allows natural language interaction. Pricing and supported models are undisclosed, raising privacy and cost concerns.
Humane drops AI Pin price by $200
Humane has reduced the price of its Ai Pin from $700 to $499 due to poor sales and negative reviews, offering a 90-day return policy while exploring a potential sale.
Red Hat is acquiring AI optimization startup Neural Magic
Red Hat is acquiring Neural Magic to enhance AI optimization on standard hardware, supporting its hybrid cloud strategy. Neural Magic previously raised $50 million in venture capital.
Humane wants to put the AI Pin's software inside your phone, car, and speaker
Humane is promoting its CosmOS operating system for integration into devices like phones and cars, showcasing potential applications in a video, while the AI Pin has struggled with more returns than sales.