© Humane
Is everything going well, internally, at Humane ? While the startup has been promoting its AI Pin for weeks, the startup announces the layoff of 4% of its workforce. That is, in concrete terms, around ten people. The firm's employees have at the same time been warned that budgets will be more limited in 2024, and the firm presents these departures as a measure to limit the company's costs according to a source cited by our colleagues at The Yard.
The startup is nevertheless promising. Humane is preparing to market what the firm presents as the future “replacement of the smartphone”. It is a small badge that is worn on clothing, equipped with a motherboard similar to that of smartphones, a laser projector that allows reading messages in the palm of the hand, from cameras, microphones and other sensors. The device runs on an in-house operating system, with a voice assistant taking direct advantage of GPT-4, at the heart of the experience.
What's going on at Humane?
This way, we can progress throughout the day, rather than interrupting it with multiple breaks, linked to the notifications currently received by smartphone owners. Despite the layoffs, the company's CEO, Bethany Bongiorno, insists the firm is only positioning itself for its next phase of growth. We want to believe in this optimism, so much so, despite the criticism, the object finally promises something radically different in the world of smartphones.
Because this first version of the product is not without defects. The first is linked to the choice (undoubtedly essential given the formula) of developing an in-house operating system. It suddenly becomes impossible to take advantage of the rich library of applications in the Android ecosystem. Another fault, probably more easily addressed in a future iteration: the laser projector is currently monochrome.
Which is a shame, because In user usage, being able to watch videos or images is something that remains quite essential. Beyond the departures announced today, the firm has carried out a vast reorganization of its management. Some roles have benefited from promotions while others have agreed to move into consulting roles, more peripheral to the company. For the moment, the Humane AI Pin is only available in the United States.
Its possible marketing in Europe and in other regions of the world remains unknown for the moment.
- Humane announces its first layoff plan – which concerns around 4% of its teams, or around ten people.
- The firm is moving forward to seek to optimize its costs to better position itself for its next phase of growth.
- Internally, some employees would talk about reduced budgets.
- The first AI Pin, the startup's flagship product, must be delivered during March 2024.
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