Humane shuts down AI Pin after scathing reviews, sells assets to HP
HP paid $116m for Humane's software and patents but not the device itself; the $699 Pin, cut to $499, stopped working entirely on 28 February 2025.
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Humane, the startup founded by former Apple designers, announced it was shutting down its AI Pin wearable and selling most of its assets to HP for $116 million — a fraction of the up to $1 billion valuation it had reportedly sought while searching for a buyer since mid-2024. The deal covered Humane’s Cosmos software platform, its engineering and product team, and its patent portfolio of more than 300 filings, but not the physical Pin hardware itself; HP said the acquired team would form a new “HP IQ” division building AI into its PCs, printers and conferencing products.
The $699 Pin, unveiled in November 2023 and shipped from April 2024, had drawn some of the most negative reviews of any consumer AI product, including a widely watched verdict from reviewer Marques Brownlee calling it “the worst product I’ve ever reviewed.” Reported device unreliability and weak sales followed the launch, and Humane had already cut the price to $499 in an attempt to boost demand. The company said it had raised more than $230 million from investors including Microsoft and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman. Devices would stop working entirely on 28 February 2025, with refunds available only to buyers within 90 days of their shipment date.
The shutdown became a reference point in the debate over standalone AI hardware, following criticism of the similarly reviewed Rabbit R1, and ahead of continued scrutiny of AI wearables as a product category more broadly.