OpenAI bought Glass Imaging in a deal valuing the smartphone camera startup above $300 million, up from a valuation of around $100 million last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Glass Imaging, which two former Apple engineers started in 2019 after working on the iPhone’s portrait mode, uses AI to get DSLR-level results out of ordinary phone hardware, and its zoom technology already ships in handsets from Chinese budget brand Honor. OpenAI hasn’t said what it wants the company for, though it has been building a secretive consumer device with Jony Ive since acquiring his startup io Products for $6.5 billion in 2025.
