Humane is (already) targeting a $1 billion buyout: but what happened ?

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Some companies are looking to redefine the way we interact with technology by offering minimalist smartphones. Others are exploring entirely new form factors which, thanks to artificial intelligence, are supposed to allow us to live with minimal interaction with our smartphones and their applications. And among the companies present in this niche, there is Humane, which has received a lot of attention in recent months.

Humane has developed a product called AI Pin, which allows the user to perform common tasks using generative artificial intelligence (instead of taking a smartphone out of their pocket), and which projects information onto the hand.< /p>

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At a time when digital detox and AI are on the rise, this product seemed promising. However, it has been the subject of numerous criticisms on the web. Furthermore, in April, Humane had only received 10,000 orders. And to make matters worse, Humane recently revealed a quality issue with one of its accessories, the Charge Case, which it is asking its customers to no longer use.

Humane would seek redemption

In essence, Humane would now be in trouble. And according to an article in the New York Times, which cites sources close to the matter, almost a week after the criticisms came out, the company began discussing a possible acquisition with HP. The article also indicates that Humane is targeting a transaction worth more than $1 billion. According to the New York Times, Humane has raised a total of $240 million, from Silicon Valley investors including OpenAI boss Sam Altman and Salesforce boss Mark Benioff.

Otherwise, the problems Humane is facing could also be indicative of the fact that at the moment, people are not yet ready to let go of their smartphones. This is, for example, what Carl Pei, the founder of the Nothing brand, thinks. “There has been a lot of hype around AI. Some great, some confusing. It's great to see new companies rethinking user experience and form factors. However, there is no doubt that smartphones will remain the primary form factor of consumer AI for the foreseeable future,” , he recently explained in a post on X.

On the other hand, Nothing is rethinking the way we use our smartphones by emphasizing artificial intelligence, to the detriment of applications. Nothing hopes to provide a bridge between the app-centric experience of today and the app-free experience of the future.

• Humane has developed a product which, thanks to artificial intelligence and a projector, allows us to use our smartphones less
• However, this product received poor reviews and does not seem to have the expected success
• In difficulty, Humane is now aiming for a buyout and would discuss with HP

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