Evans Hankey & OpenAI

Evans Hankey: Evans Hankey, former Apple head of industrial design, is leading development of the speaker and other OpenAI products.

OpenAI: OpenAI is developing its first consumer device, a screenless speaker, marking a critical step toward becoming a hardware company and positioning for an IPO.

Evans Hankey: Evans Hankey, a former Apple Inc. figure, is now involved in OpenAI's AI hardware plans, contributing to OpenAI's growing hardware group.

OpenAI: OpenAI is gaining a significant executive, Paul Meade, from Apple Inc. to lead its hardware unit, strengthening its efforts in AI-powered devices and wearables.

Evans Hankey: Hankey, former Apple design executive, co-founded Eco-Products but is not named in the lawsuit.

OpenAI: OpenAI is the defendant in the lawsuit, accused of orchestrating trade secret theft. The company denies the allegations and frames the case as an attack on employee mobility, but the legal battle could disrupt its hardware ambitions and damage its reputation.