Humane has decided to trim its workforce by 4% just as it is gearing up for the release of its inaugural product, the AI Pin.
What Happened: A report by The Verge revealed that Humane quietly informed its staff of the layoffs last week. The decision impacts ten employees and comes at a time when the five-year-old startup is weeks away from releasing its first product.
The Humane AI Pin is scheduled to start shipping in March.
Humane was founded in 2019 by Apple veterans Bethany Bongiorno and her spouse, Imran Chaudhri.
The company has raised $230 million from investors like Microsoft Corp. MSFT, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Tiger Global, Qualcomm Ventures, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, among others.
See Also: What Is Humane AI Pin, One Of Time Magazine’s ‘Best Inventions Of 2023?’
Bongiorno took to LinkedIn after news of the layoffs broke, saying the cuts are a "part of a wider refresh of our organizational structure as our company evolves with purpose for this next phase of growth."
She further announced that the company’s founding CTO, Patrick Gates, will now take on an advisory role.
Why It Matters: The futuristic-looking Humane AI Pin is a screenless gadget that attaches to clothing akin to a brooch.
This tiny device also has a built-in camera that can identify things and provide information like calorie estimates for food items. You could also point it at historical monuments to know more about them instead of pulling out your phone.
The Humane AI Pin is a ChatGPT-powered projector device that can also serve as a personal assistant. It will project information on your palm using a laser projector, fulfilling Humane’s screen-free goal.
The AI Pin has been awarded by Time Magazine as one of the “Best Inventions of 2023”.
It costs $699 and requires a $24 monthly subscription.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image Credits – Humane
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