Exclusive: Ha Thai departs Meta to lead comms for OpenAI devices
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Photo: Courtesy of Ha Thai
Ha Thai has departed Meta to join OpenAI to lead communications for devices.
Why it matters: The AI company is expected to unveil its first device this year.
Context: Thai has worked in consumer hardware comms for nearly two decades, most recently leading communications for Meta's Reality Labs and supporting Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth.
- In her nearly 10 years at Facebook/Meta, she oversaw launches of products including Oculus/Meta Quest VR headsets and Meta AI glasses.
- Before that, Thai led product, partnership and developer communications at Google's Nest and supported founder Tony Fadell.
- Prior to Nest, she also worked on comms for streaming devices at Roku and computer peripherals and accessories at Logitech.
Between the lines: As vice president of communications for devices at OpenAI, Thai will work closely with LoveFrom, the creative collective led by former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
- OpenAI acquired Ive's AI devices startup io last year for $5 billion in stock. While Ive and LoveFrom remain independent, OpenAI said they "have assumed deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI."
- The deal signaled OpenAI's belief that the AI era will spawn a new generation of novel consumer devices, per Axios' Ina Fried.
The big picture: While OpenAI has offered few details on its hardware ambitions, consumer devices would offer a more tangible and marketable AI use case for the average person.
- AI companies face a major PR challenge as people worry about job security, rising electricity costs, environmental concerns and wealth concentration.
What to watch: OpenAI has filed confidential draft IPO paperwork just days after rival Anthropic submitted its confidential filings with the SEC.
Go deeper: OpenAI's big hardware bet
