OpenAI Taps Former Apple Design Guru to Usher in Next Gen Devices

Summary

WSJ Tech News Briefing: Summary of "OpenAI Taps Former Apple Design Guru to Usher in Next Gen Devices"

Release Date: May 22, 2025
Host: Victoria Gloria Craig
Producer: Zoe Culkin
Supervising Producer: Melanie Roy

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1. Protecting Personal Data on the Dark Web

Overview:
In the initial segment, Victoria Craig delves into the pervasive issue of personal data breaches and their sale on the Dark Web. She introduces Nicole Nguyen, the Wall Street Journal's personal tech columnist, to provide expert insights on identifying and mitigating the risks associated with data leaks.

Key Discussions:

• Detection of Data Breaches:
  Nicole Nguyen explains, "Google rolled out a free Dark Web monitoring tool to all of its users sometime last year, so that's definitely a great place to start" (02:16). This tool allows users to input sensitive information like Social Security numbers to check against leaked databases.

• Impact of Data Leaks:
  Keech Hagee underscores the severity by stating, "If you find out that your data like email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, but then also sensitive data like your Social Security number is on the dark web, what can they do about it?" (02:43). Nicole Nguyen responds by highlighting the dangers: "a Social Security number is one of the most dangerous pieces of personal data to be leaked" (02:55).

• Mitigation Strategies:
  Nicole advises, "You first need to lock down your finances. And this can start by freezing your credit at the major reporting bureaus" (04:01). Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of multi-factor authentication: "One of the easiest ways to protect your digital accounts is to turn on multi factor authentication for really sensitive accounts like your bank, your email, your 401k" (04:14).

• Preventive Measures:
  To avoid data leaks, Nicole suggests using burner numbers and alternate birth dates: "You can create a burner number using Google Voice or another service, sign up to services with a burner birth date" (04:55).

Notable Quotes:

• Nicole Nguyen, "[...] a Social Security number is one of the most dangerous pieces of personal data to be leaked" (02:55).
• Nicole Nguyen, "the best way to avoid having your data leaked in the first place is to not give it out" (04:14).

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2. OpenAI Partners with Former Apple Design Guru Jony Ive

Overview:
The latter part of the episode shifts focus to a groundbreaking partnership between OpenAI and Jony Ive, the renowned former Apple design chief. This collaboration aims to revolutionize consumer electronics by integrating advanced AI technologies with innovative design.

Key Discussions:

• Vision for Next-Gen Devices:
  Victoria Craig introduces the topic, highlighting OpenAI founder Sam Altman’s vision: "I think this technology deserves something much better" (06:33). Altman critiques the limitations of current AI interfaces, advocating for more intuitive and immersive devices.

• Introduction to Jony Ive:
  Keech Hagee provides background on Jony Ive, stating, "Jony Ive is a chief architect of the iPhone. He's a longtime designer at Apple and everything that you see that you think of as Apple" (07:05). Ive expresses his motivation: "We're like a bunch of zombies" (07:33), emphasizing the need for more human-centric interactions with technology.

• Details of the Partnership:
  Jony Ive elaborates on the collaboration: "Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have been collaborating quietly for about two years" (07:22). He hints at innovative products, mentioning "headphones with a camera" and emphasizing that the new devices "are going to not be a screen" (08:55).

• Future Launch and Expectations:
  The partnership is poised to unveil their first products next year: "they're going to show their work next year" (09:17). Keech Hagee inquires about the integration of Jony Ive’s firm IO into OpenAI, to which Jony Ive explains a substantial equity deal: "OpenAI bought a part of that. They just did a deal that was worth almost $6.5 billion" (09:51).

• Strategic Positioning in the AI Market:
  Jony Ive discusses OpenAI's strategic shift towards consumer-friendly products: "What you're really seeing is OpenAI is becoming a consumer products company" (10:48). He notes the importance of innovative user interfaces in differentiating OpenAI from competitors like Anthropic and Google.

Notable Quotes:

• Sam Altman: "If I wanted to ask ChatGPT something right now about something we had talked about earlier... I would like reach down, I would get on my laptop... that is at the limit of what the current tool of a laptop can do. But I think this technology deserves something much better." (06:33).

• Jony Ive: "It's really destroyed what it is to be in a room with another person." (07:58)

• Jony Ive: "They're bringing in Jony to push the interfaces forward" (11:13).

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Conclusion

The episode of WSJ Tech News Briefing on May 22, 2025, offers a dual exploration of pressing tech issues:

1. Data Security: Highlighting the rampant issue of personal data breaches, the discussion underscores the importance of proactive measures to safeguard sensitive information against Dark Web threats.

2. AI and Design Innovation: Showcasing a monumental partnership between OpenAI and Jony Ive, the episode anticipates transformative advancements in consumer electronics, potentially redefining how users interact with AI-powered devices.

Listeners are left with a comprehensive understanding of both the vulnerabilities in the digital landscape and the promising avenues for future technological innovation.

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Timestamps

• Protecting Personal Data on the Dark Web:

  • Introduction by Victoria Craig: 00:15
  • Nicole Nguyen on Dark Web monitoring tools: 02:16
  • Impact of data leaks: 02:43 and 02:55
  • Mitigation strategies: 04:01 and 04:14

• OpenAI and Jony Ive Partnership:

  • Introduction to OpenAI’s vision: 06:07
  • Sam Altman’s video quote: 06:33
  • Introduction to Jony Ive: 07:05
  • Partnership details and future products: 07:22 to 11:13

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This summary encapsulates the key points, discussions, quotes, and insights from the WSJ Tech News Briefing episode titled "OpenAI Taps Former Apple Design Guru to Usher in Next Gen Devices." For the full experience, listeners are encouraged to tune into the episode directly.

Transcript

[Nader Merabi]

AI has the potential to transform the medical industry as we know it. Join NYU Langone Health at the break to hear from Nader Mehrabi, the organization's chief digital and information officer, about how the healthcare system is using this powerful technology to improve care.

[Victoria Craig]

Hey, TNB listeners, before we get started, heads up. We're going to be asking you a question at the top of each show for the next few weeks. Our goal here at Tech News Briefing is to keep you updated with the latest headlines and trends on all things tech. Now we want to know more about you, what you like about the show, and what more you'd like to hear from us. So our question this week is what are some ways you'd like to hear us tell stories on the show? Casual chats, Listener Q&As? What about special series or deep dives? If you're listening on Spotify, look for our poll under the episode description. Or you can send us an email to tnbsj.com now onto the show. Welcome to Tech News briefing. It's Thursday, May 22nd. I'm Victoria Gloria Craig for the Wall Street Journal. Do you know how much your personal data can sell for A credit card number can garner $6 while your crypto wallet login fetches $350. We'll tell you how to protect yourself against the illegal trade of personal information on the Dark Web then. Do you remember the first time you played around on a smartphone? Well, OpenAI wants to bring that magic to a new generation of devices and other AI products. We'll introduce you to the man they've hired to do just that. But first, at this point, people have pretty much accepted that some of their personal information has been leaked and then sold online. Things like addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. But what about your Social Security number or passport information? Even your PayPal account credentials? Those things sell on the Dark Web, a corner of the Internet where criminals exchange illegally obtained data for hundreds of dollars. So how do you know if your information is there? And what should you do? It is WSJ personal tech columnist Nicole Nguyen has written a guidebook of sorts for that. Nicole, let's just start with how do you know if your data is on the dark Web?

[Nicole Nguyen]

There are a couple of ways, but Google rolled out a free Dark Web monitoring tool to all of its users sometime last year, so that's definitely a great place to start. It's not comprehensive, but you can input data like your home address, your Social Security number. It already knows your email address. If you use your Gmail as your primary account, and it can immediately scan previously leaked databases of information for that personnel data.

[Keech Hagee]

Okay, so if you find out that your data like email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, but then also sensitive data like your Social Security number is on the dark web, what can they do about it?

[Nicole Nguyen]

I found out that my Social Security number was on the dark web, which was not great. And when I talked to security professionals, they said that this number is one of the most dangerous pieces of personal data to be leaked and that unfortunately, most Americans have had their Social Security number leaked. A big source of that was an AT&T breach that included over 70 million customers and former customers Social Security numbers. So what do you do? You first need to lock down your finances. And this can start by freezing your credit at the major reporting bureaus. So that's Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. And you can also lock down your credit at lesser known bureaus. You should also check for compromised passwords. A lot of password managers, including free versions from Apple and Google, scan your password database against these leaked databases that appear on the dark web. And if you have a compromised password, you should change that password immediately and eventually change all of your passwords so each one is long and unique.

[Victoria Craig]

I can hear the collective groan from.

[Keech Hagee]

People who are listening just at the daunting task of trying to come up with unique passwords. Is there a way, Nicole, that we can just avoid having our information end up on the dark web altogether?

[Nicole Nguyen]

One of the easiest ways to protect your digital accounts is to turn on multi factor authentication for really sensitive accounts like your bank, your email, your 401k, for example. There are more secure forms of multi factor authentication, such as using an authenticator app versus you getting a code via text message. But any multi factor authentication is better than none at all. So that's what I recommend to people first and foremost. In general, the best way to avoid having your data leaked in the first place is to not give it out. You can create a burner number using Google Voice or another service, sign up to services with a burner birth date, have a backup address that you can plop in for services that don't need your physical home address if they're not sending you anything. So there are roadblocks that you can put up to prevent some of this information from getting out there and threatening your digital and financial life.

[Victoria Craig]

That was WSJ personal tech columnist Nicole Nguyen. Coming up, a former Apple design guru is joining hands with OpenAI. What that means for the future of consumer electronics. After the break.

[Nader Merabi]

Although AI has only recently emerged as a transformational technology, NYU Langone has been laying the foundation for its application for years. Chief Digital and Information Officer Nader Murabi.

Explains, we've always been forward looking. We actually started back in 2017. We just wanted to learn and create deeper knowledge about AI. And of course we fast forward when generative AI burst in the market. We are much more prepared to take advantage of our patient.

[Victoria Craig]

It's hard to believe, but Apple's first iPhone launched nearly two decades ago. In the years since, there have been updates and tweaks to how we use it and the things it and other devices like it can do to make our lives easier and better connected. But OpenAI founder Sam Altman thinks it's time to put a completely new product in consumers hands. Here he is in a video he posted to his X account on Wednesday.

[Sam Altman]

If I wanted to ask ChatGPT something right now about something we had talked about earlier, think about what would happen, I would like reach down, I would get on my laptop, I'd open it up, I'd launch a web browser, I'd start typing, I'd have to explain that thing. I would hit enter and I would wait and I would get a response. And that is at the limit of what the current tool of a laptop can do. But I think this technology deserves something much better.

[Victoria Craig]

Enter Jony I've WSJ reporter Keech Hagee joins us to discuss who I've is and what Altman hopes is he will do next.

[Keech Hagee]

For our listeners who don't know him.

[Jony Ive]

Who is Jony I've Jony I've is a chief architect of the iPhone. He's a longtime designer at Apple and everything that you see that you think of as Apple. The sleek design, nothing extra, the instant usability. That's Jony I've and in the same.

[Keech Hagee]

Way that he disrupted the smartphone market or the cell phone market, he wants to disrupt AI. Just tell us about this new partnership I suppose that he's got now with OpenAI.

[Jony Ive]

So Jony I've and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have been collaborating quietly for about two years. What's really been driving them forward is this vision of how can we create a new way for people to interact with AI that is not looking down at your smartphone. If you just like sit on the subway or go into an elevator, like it's really sad what's happened to our society, right? We're like a bunch of zombies.

[Keech Hagee]

Totally agree. Nobody even says hello anymore.

[Jony Ive]

It's really destroyed what it is to be in a room with another person. Jony I've actually recently made some comments about this where it's clear that he regrets it.

[Victoria Craig]

Yeah.

[Keech Hagee]

To that point, here is Jony.

[Victoria Craig]

I've speaking to the Stripe CEO Patrick.

[Keech Hagee]

Collison for a fireside chat at Stripe sessions at a Stripe conference earlier this month.

[Patrick Collison]

I think when you're innovating, of course there will be unintended consequences. You hope that the majority will be pleasant surprises. Certain products that I've been very, very involved with, I think there were some unintended consequences that were far from pleasant. My issue is that even though there was no intention, I think there still needs to be responsibility. And that weighs on me, as you know, heavily.

[Victoria Craig]

So do we know any details about.

[Keech Hagee]

How they could be rethinking this?

[Jony Ive]

So it's been a very, very closely held secret. Johnny. I brought that Apple super secrecy with him when he went off on his own and created his own design firm. But we do have a little bit of detail. They've been batting around some ideas and it's not done. Of course, they don't know exactly what it is, but some of the things they've been discussing are somehow of headphones with a camera. Whatever it is, it's going to not be a screen.

[Keech Hagee]

And when can we expect to see some of this stuff hitting the market? Is this sort of like a long term goal that they're going to be working on together or can we expect it fairly soon?

[Jony Ive]

Well, they just said in a video today that they're going to show their work next year. So that's a pretty quick deadline for totally reinventing how we deal with computers. So it'll be interesting to see and.

[Keech Hagee]

What'Ll give them or help give them some of the actual manpower to do. This is an OpenAI acquisition of IO, which is a company that I've leads that was founded last year develop AI products. Just tell us about that company.

[Jony Ive]

Yes, this is all a very complicated structure, but basically, Johnny, I has a couple companies. One of them is IO OpenAI bought a part of that. They just did a deal that was worth almost $6.5 billion, all equity, by the way. That brings IO inside OpenAI. But if you step back, the simple way to think about it is that Jony, I've is going to take some lead role over all of OpenAI's stuff. He's going to get a chunk of OpenAI equity and his team is going to be inside OpenAI working there while he still has independence to work for other clients like Ferrari and Airbnb when he wants.

[Keech Hagee]

We know that OpenAI is competing with a whole bunch of other companies to develop the best platform that consumers can use. And this move that they've announced this week to focus on consumer friendly products follows a very recent move by OpenAI to bring on a veteran of Facebook and Instacart for a newly created role of CEO of applications. How does that fit into the whole vision that OpenAI has now?

[Jony Ive]

What you're really seeing is OpenAI is becoming a consumer products company. Not exclusively, but that's clearly where the energy is right now. They're always going to be working on these LLM models that are going to be powering things, but that is becoming increasingly commodified. They have a lot of competitors, anthropic Google, even Microsoft, their partners, is a competitor in some ways. And to really push things forward, it's going to be about the interfaces. And that's why they brought on Jony.

[Victoria Craig]

I've that was WSJ reporter Kee Chaege. And that's it for Tech News Briefing. Today's show was produced by Zoe Culkin with supervising producer Melanie Roy. I'm Victoria Craig for the Wall Street Journal. We'll be back this afternoon with TNB Tech Minute. Thanks for listening.

[Nader Merabi]

For hospitals, determining where to invest AI resources is critical. Here's NYU Langone's Nader Merabi.

Again, the way we use AI here is really grounded. Can we improve the quality care with AI? Can we make care delivery safer? And can we make care delivery efficient? And lastly, can we improve the patient experience using AI? Every project AI should think we should say, does it meet one or more of those criteria?

To learn more about healthcare innovation at NYU Langone health, please visit NYU langone.org Custom content from WSJ is a unit of the Wall Street Journal Advertising Department. The Wall Street Journal news organization was not involved in the creation of this content.