With a mindset of revolutionizing the tech industry, Humane announced its first product, the Ai Pin, in November 2023. The Ai Pin is wearable, uses AI models to help answer a user"s questions, runs on Android, and uses a laser projector to show details on your palm.
It is a voice-controlled digital assistant powered by AI meant to "replace your smartphones" for common daily tasks. Although the product made big promises, when it started shipping in April 2024 and arrived in the hands of customers and reviewers, things went ugly for Humane Ai Pin.
People started pointing out impoverished battery life, overheating issues, late responses, and many other software shortcomings. In fact, after receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews from tech reviewers, things just got worse for the Humane Ai Pin.
It seems like Humane has considered all of that, and according to a report by Bloomberg, the company is already looking for buyers after the bad response to its Ai Pin. As per "people familiar with the matter," Humane is seeking a buyer for its business, and they are in talks with a financial advisor to assist in a potential sale. While it is an early stage, Humane is looking for a sale between $750 million and $1 billion.
Humane, the company formed by two former longtime Apple employees, Imran Chaudri and Bethany Bongiorno, launched the Ai Pin for $699, which was too high. Humane developed their operating system called ComOS. A monthly subscription was required to keep the device active, which put another hole in the owner"s pocket.
The product, the software, the price, and the subscription, all contributed to the quick downfall of the product. Although it could have been a matter of time before the AI startup sold itself to a bigger company, the speed at which this is happening is rather interesting.