| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 |
| Legal Structure | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Technology |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://humane.com |
Humane Inc. was an American consumer electronics company founded in 2018 by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, both former Apple employees.[1] The company raised $230 million from investors including OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman and Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff, reaching a $1 billion valuation before launch.[1] The company designed and developed the AI Pin, a wearable voice-operated virtual assistant device with no traditional screen, instead projecting an interface onto the user's hand with a laser projector.[1]
The AI Pin began shipping in April 2024 at $700 plus a $24 monthly subscription, and received largely negative reviews, with around 10,000 orders placed.[1] In February 2025, it was announced that HP would acquire most of Humane.[2] The AI Pin was rendered nearly unusable on February 28, 2025.[3]
Consumer impact summary
User freedom
The AI Pin made extensive use of cloud servers for core functionalities, depriving users of fundamental features the moment the servers went out of service.[3] When support was dropped, the AI Pin was no longer usable, leaving customers with no option of getting the pin repaired or upgraded.[3]
Incidents
AI Pin discontinuation (2025)
In February 2025, Humane Inc., following HP's acquisition of Humane, announced that it had stopped selling the AI Pin and that devices in the market would lose access to company servers starting from February 28 that year.[4] This made the AI Pin nearly unusable, since the device was highly dependent on cloud servers for almost all of its applications.[3]
After the servers were shut down, users were no longer able to use core functions of the AI Pin, and all customer data on the company's servers was erased permanently.[3]
Due to the discontinuation of the AI Pin, Humane provided refunds for units shipped on or after November 15, 2024. The company encouraged users to recycle their AI Pins through an e-waste recycling program.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Amadeo, Ron (2024-06-14). "How to build a DOA product: Humane AI Pin founders banned internal criticism". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2026-04-29. Retrieved 2026-10-26.
- ↑ "HP Accelerates AI Software Investments to Transform the Future of Work". Humane. 2025-02-18. Archived from the original on 2025-02-18. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Koebler, Jason (2025-02-19). "The Humane AI Pin: A $700 Brick of E-Waste". 404 Media. Archived from the original on 2025-02-19. Retrieved 2026-10-26.
- ↑ Souppouris, Aaron (2025-02-18). "All of Humane's AI pins will stop working in 10 days". Engadget. Archived from the original on 2026-10-06. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ↑ "Ai Pin Consumers FAQ". Humane. Archived from the original on 2025-02-19. Retrieved 2025-02-19.