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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHumane reportedly sought a buyer for $750 million to $1 billion soon after its Ai Pin launched in 2024. That reported sale process did not produce a deal at that price: on February 18, 2025, HP announced a $116 million purchase of selected Humane technology, intellectual property and talent, while Humane wound down the consumer Ai Pin service. HP’s announcement did not say it was buying or continuing the consumer Pin business.
What Humane was trying to build
Founded in 2017 by former Apple employees Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, Humane pitched itself as a post-smartphone hardware company. It raised roughly $230 million to $240 million before the Ai Pin’s public launch, depending on the source and how funding is counted; reported backers included Microsoft, Qualcomm Ventures, Salesforce founder Marc Benioff and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman. Bloomberg’s product and company profile provides launch-era context.
The Ai Pin was a small device held to clothing with a magnetic battery. It had a camera, microphones, speaker, motion sensors, cellular connectivity and touch controls, but no conventional screen. Users could ask voice-based questions, make calls, send messages, take notes, translate, play music and ask about what the camera saw. A monochrome laser projected a simple interface onto the user’s hand. The device had its own phone number and data service, and at launch ordinary access to photos, notes and other information did not come through a companion iPhone or Android app.
What the Ai Pin cost—and why that mattered
At launch, the hardware cost $699 and the connected service cost $24 a month. That put a customer’s first year at $987 before taxes or other costs, assuming 12 monthly service payments: $699 plus $288 in subscription fees. Humane later reduced the hardware price to $499, according to TechCrunch’s acquisition coverage. The $699 launch price was not the device’s price throughout its life.
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The recurring fee was more than a footnote. Buyers were being asked to pay a substantial amount for a new, cloud-connected device and keep paying for a service, while phones, watches, earbuds and camera-equipped smart glasses already covered many overlapping tasks. A lower hardware price could reduce the initial hurdle, but it did not remove the subscription, improve the product’s everyday usefulness or establish why a buyer needed another device.
Why Humane reportedly explored a sale
On May 22, 2024, Bloomberg reported that Humane was working with a financial adviser and exploring a possible sale, with a hoped-for price of $750 million to $1 billion. The report was based on people familiar with the matter; the process was described as preliminary and was not a guarantee that a buyer or transaction would emerge. Humane had not publicly confirmed that reported asking range. Bloomberg’s report is the source for the proposed range and sale process.
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The timing followed a difficult launch. The Ai Pin began shipping in April 2024 and drew poor or mixed reviews. Coverage criticized battery life, heat, sluggish performance, limited or unreliable functions and an awkward projected interface. For many everyday tasks, using a phone was more direct. The product also asked people to speak to a camera- and microphone-equipped device worn in public, creating practical privacy and social-acceptance questions.
No single review or flaw explains the outcome. The underlying product challenge was that Humane needed the Pin to make common interactions easier than existing devices while relying on voice, projection and cloud services. Those choices could reduce dependence on a phone screen, but they also made private, precise and fast interactions harder. A wearable has little space for heat management, and frequent charging or battery changes undermine an all-day convenience pitch. Its usefulness also depended heavily on Humane’s connected service, while the company did not own the major AI models powering the experience. These factors made differentiation and the economics of a new $24 monthly bill difficult.
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From reported sale search to shutdown
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| November 9, 2023 | Humane announced the Ai Pin’s $699 launch price and $24 monthly service model. |
| April 2024 | The Ai Pin began shipping to customers. |
| May 22, 2024 | Bloomberg reported Humane was exploring a sale at a hoped-for $750 million to $1 billion; the process was preliminary. |
| October 2024 | Humane reportedly reduced the hardware price to $499. |
| February 18, 2025 | HP announced a $116 million deal for selected Humane capabilities and assets. Humane stopped new Ai Pin sales and began winding down the consumer service. |
| February 28, 2025, 12 p.m. Pacific | The scheduled shutdown ended Ai Pin server connectivity and retired .Center. |
What HP bought
HP described its February 2025 transaction as a purchase of key Humane AI capabilities, including the Cosmos platform, more than 300 patents and patent applications, and a group of engineers, architects and product innovators. HP said it intended to use those capabilities across its ecosystem, including AI PCs, printers and connected conference-room products. The HP announcement states the $116 million transaction value and describes its scope.
That is narrower than saying HP bought Humane wholesale or acquired a continuing consumer Ai Pin business. HP’s announcement did not promise to manufacture, support or revive the Pin. Later reporting also described selective job offers and layoffs, not a transfer of every Humane employee to HP; see TechCrunch’s follow-up on staffing.
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The reported $750 million-to-$1 billion figure was an asking range for a possible sale, not a completed valuation. HP’s $116 million was the price for selected assets and capabilities. Those figures are not directly comparable to each other or to Humane’s reported $230 million to $240 million in fundraising: investment raised over time and a later transaction for specified assets measure different things. The outcome suggests HP saw value in Humane’s software, patents and technical staff for its own products, even as the consumer Pin service ended.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happened to Ai Pin customers
Humane stopped taking new Ai Pin sales when it announced the shutdown. Existing devices were scheduled to lose server access on February 28, 2025, at 12 p.m. Pacific. Humane said calling, messaging, AI responses, cloud access and .Center would stop, and urged customers to download photos, videos, notes and other data before the deadline. It said remaining customer data, including personally identifiable information stored on its servers, would be permanently deleted after shutdown. The company’s customer update and consumer FAQ set out the service and data deadlines.
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The FAQ limited hardware refunds generally to customers still within the 90-day return window measured from original shipment. Customers with prepaid subscriptions after the shutdown were eligible for prorated refunds. Customers waiting for replacement charging cases were to receive a refund for the relevant portion rather than a replacement. Since the shutdown date has passed, these were the terms Humane announced at the time, not a current return option.
The Pin should not be described as literally useless in every respect: limited offline behavior may remain. But its core connected functions depended on Humane’s servers, so the physical device could no longer deliver the service customers bought it to provide. That dependence is a key risk of cloud-connected hardware: a company’s closure can remove functionality even when the device itself is intact.
What the outcome says about AI hardware
Humane’s story distinguishes a promising technology demonstration from a product people choose to use every day. A standalone wearable has to beat the convenience of devices people already carry, not merely demonstrate that AI can answer questions or interpret images. It also needs reliable battery life, acceptable heat, a useful interaction model and a sustainable way to fund the cloud service behind it.
It also shows why an acquisition of technology does not validate the consumer product that generated it. HP could see strategic value in patents, software and experienced employees that fit a large existing device ecosystem, without seeing a case to continue selling the Pin. Humane sought a buyer for a company pursuing a new hardware category; what materialized was a smaller, selected-asset transaction alongside a consumer shutdown.
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