OpenAI quietly acquired the startup Glass Imaging in recent months. This company specializes in developing technologies aimed at improving smartphone camera quality. According to sources informed to The Wall Street Journal, the transaction was valued at over $300 million, which is equivalent to about 1.6 billion reais.
Previously, Glass Imaging was valued at approximately $100 million (about 530 million reais) during a funding round last year. The startup was founded in 2019 by Ziv Attar and Tom Bishop.
The technology developed by Glass Imaging integrates hardware and software with artificial intelligence (AI), allowing for the production of images comparable in quality to a DSLR camera. The two founders, Ziv Attar and Tom Bishop, have prior experience at Apple, where they worked on developing camera features, such as the iPhone Portrait mode.
Although OpenAI's specific plans for Glass Imaging have not yet been disclosed, this acquisition occurs parallel to the company's work on developing a consumer product in collaboration with Jony Ive, former Apple executive. OpenAI hired Ive in 2025 as part of the acquisition of his startup io Products, in a deal worth $6.5 billion (approximately 34.5 billion reais).
Jony Ive has taken on roles in the development of consumer devices and in other projects focused on defining the aesthetics and interaction methods of OpenAI's future AI products. Recently, the company also made other purchases, including the TBPN technology interview program and a startup focused on open-source code development tools.
The deal with Glass Imaging strengthens OpenAI's presence in a crucial area for AI devices: cameras capable of capturing real-world environmental data and converting it into information usable by AI systems. The company has not yet specified how it intends to apply the startup's technology or whether it will be integrated into the device being created with Jony Ive. The original news about OpenAI potentially preparing an AI cell phone camera was published in Olhar Digital.
