In the unforgiving realm of technology, innovation must seamlessly align with execution to survive.
Humane Inc. was supposed to introduce the next era of mobility. Founded in 2018 by former Apple employees Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, its Ai Pin product, which is a voice-activated device, "built from the ground up for AI," is designed to keep users connected without constant screen interaction.
Despite raising over $230 million from prominent investors and generating significant pre-launch buzz, the Ai Pin faced critical challenges upon its release in April 2024.
And in just ten months later, the terribly executed and terrible product is about to stop functioning for good.
By the end of February, Humane Ai pins will stop functioning, effectively turning it into electronic wastes.
Humane AI had an ambitious start.
The two founders who happened to be former Apple employees, aimed to one day make the pins replace smartphones by revolutionizing wearable technology.
But this supposed-to-be a product for a screenless future, has a limited battery life, prone for overheating and unreliable functionality and some other issues, made the Ai Pins practically useless to a lot of users.
These problems led to high return rates, with reports indicating that more devices were returned than sold between May and August 2024.
The poor user reviews, poor execution and poor sales performance, made it a flop.
Not to mention the immensely fast rise and quick development of Large Language Models, many of which are making presence on smartphones, also contribute to the fall.
Read: Humane Ai Pin Immensely Bad Reviews, And The Argument Over Ethics And Social Media Influence
The company has told all of its customers that Humane told customers that nearly every function of the Ai pin will stop working, but that some "offline" features should continue working.
These features include the ability to check whether the battery is charged or not, for example.
"After February 28, 2025, Ai Pin will still allow for offline features like battery level, etc., but will not include any function that requires cloud connectivity like voice interactions, AI responses, and Center access," the company said.
"We encourage you to recycle your Ai Pin through an e-waste recycling program."
What this means, the pins, which were considered a bold gamble in the smartphone-connected world, are literally bricked.
The pins which were sold for about $700 per piece, are becoming junks filling landfills.
Fortunately however, HP Inc. stepped in and came to a (late) rescue.
In February 2025, HP announced the acquisition of key assets from San Francisco-based AI startup Humane Inc., for $116 million.
This strategic move, according to the announcement from Humane, includes the integration of Humane's software platform, over 300 patents, and the onboarding of its technical team into HP's newly established AI innovation division, HP IQ.
— Humane (@Humane) February 18, 2025
HP's acquisition aims to leverage Humane's intellectual property and experienced team to enhance AI integration across HP's product lines, marking a significant shift in HP's strategic focus towards AI-driven innovation.
"This investment will rapidly accelerate our ability to develop a new generation of devices that seamlessly orchestrate AI requests both locally and in the cloud," said Tuan Tran, President of Technology and Innovation at HP.
"Humane’s AI platform Cosmos, backed by an incredible group of engineers, will help us create an intelligent ecosystem across all HP devices from AI PCs to smart printers and connected conference rooms. This will unlock new levels of functionality for our customers and deliver on the promises of AI."
"We’re excited to join HP at such a pivotal moment in the industry and help shape the future of intelligent experiences,” said Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri, co-founders of Humane.
"HP’s scale, global reach, and operational excellence—combined with our design-led approach, integration technology, and engineering expertise—will redefine workforce productivity."
The deal however, excluded the AI Pin device itself.
This acquisition that is planned to close at the end of February, marks the discontinuation of the AI Pin, and the end of the line for the startup.