Humane AI Pin
From Invertopedia, the encyclopedia of how things fail
Humane was a San Francisco startup that built the Ai Pin, a screenless wearable with a camera and a laser that projected a display onto the palm, pitched as a replacement for the smartphone[1][3][7]. It raised more than $230 million[1][2], shipped in April 2024 at $699 plus a $24 monthly plan[1][3], and sold about 10,000 units against a goal of 100,000[4][5]. In February 2025 HP bought its staff, software and patents for $116 million, and every pin stopped working on February 28[1][6].
Contents
The bet
A phone pulls your eyes down to a screen. A small pin on your shirt, run by an AI you talk to, could answer questions, send messages, make calls and take photos without one[3]. There would be no apps, just the assistant, and a projected display in your palm for the moments you needed to see something[3].
Humane pitched it as a replacement for the smartphone[1], with buyers paying $699 for the device and a required $24 a month for a T-Mobile number, cellular data and other services[3].
What happened
| Nov 9, 2023 | Humane fully unveils the Ai Pin: $699, a required $24 monthly plan on T-Mobile, no screen and no app store. Orders open November 16.[3] |
|---|---|
| Apr 2024 | The pin ships, pitched as a replacement for the smartphone.[1][2] |
| Apr 2024 | Reviews are harsh. Marques Brownlee titles his video "The Worst Product I've Ever Reviewed .... For Now." The Verge calls it "not even close" to a good product.[7] |
| May 2024 | Bloomberg reports Humane is seeking a buyer at $750 million to $1 billion.[1] |
| May – Aug 2024 | More pins are returned than bought. About 10,000 sold in all, about 3,000 came back, and returned units can't be resold.[4][5] |
| 2024 | Humane tells owners to stop using the charging case over battery fire concerns.[1] |
| Oct 2024 | The price is cut by $200, to $499.[1] |
| Feb 18, 2025 | HP agrees to pay $116 million for Humane's Cosmos software, its technical staff and more than 300 patents and applications. The pin itself is not part of the deal.[2][6] |
| Feb 28, 2025 | The pins stop working at noon Pacific: no calls, messages, AI answers or cloud access. Remaining customer data is deleted.[1][2] |
The kill shot
It asked people to give up the phone, and it did nothing better than the phone. Slower, less reliable and with a weak battery, it had no single daily job it did best.
The reviews named the same problems: it was slow, unreliable, ran out of battery and had no advantage over a smartphone[2]. The Verge's reviewer ended with "I'll take my phone back now, thanks"[7]. The pin was meant to replace the most-used device people own, but it had no single task where reaching for it beat reaching for the phone.
The numbers followed. More than 1,000 orders were cancelled after the reviews[4], about 3,000 of roughly 10,000 sold pins were returned[4], and lifetime sales came to about $9 million[5]. Because of a T-Mobile limitation, a returned pin could not be assigned to a new owner, so the returns could not even be resold[4].
Red flags ignored
- Replace, not add. It was sold as a smartphone replacement[1][2], which meant competing with the most polished device people carry.
- No apps, by design. Everything had to go through Humane's own AI. There was no app store to fill the gaps.[3]
- A subscription on top. $699 up front and a required $24 a month, for something that did less than the phone already being paid for.[3]
- The launch video made mistakes. Humane's own November 2023 launch video showed the pin getting answers wrong.[7]
- Years of building, no early users. About six years and over $200 million went in before the public could try it.[5]
The cost
More than $230 million raised[1][2], at a reported $850 million valuation[7]. About $9 million in lifetime sales[5]. HP paid $116 million for what was left[6], and buyers outside the 90-day return window got no refund when their pins were switched off[1][2].
The inversion
To replace the phone, you have to beat the phone at something people do every day. Find that one thing, prove it with real users, and only then ask them to carry something new.
What survived
The team and the software. HP bought the Cosmos AI platform, Humane's technical staff and more than 300 patents and patent applications, and folded the team into a new AI lab called HP IQ[1][6]. The pins themselves became e-waste; Humane suggested owners recycle them[7].
References
- ^ “Humane's AI Pin is dead, as HP buys startup's assets for $116M”. TechCrunch (Maxwell Zeff), February 18, 2025. Founders, over $230 million raised, April 2024 launch, $699 to $499 price cut in October 2024, the Bloomberg sale report, charging case warning, HP deal and HP IQ, the February 28 noon shutdown, 90-day refunds.
- ^ “HP is acquiring parts of AI Pin startup Humane for $116 million—but retiring the product once hyped as a smartphone alternative”. Fortune (Beatrice Nolan), February 19, 2025. $230 million raised, ex-Apple founders, April 2024 ship date, HP not taking the pin business, data wiped, refunds, review complaints.
- ^ “Humane fully details $699 'Ai Pin' and what it can do”. 9to5Google (Abner Li), November 9, 2023. The unveiling: $699, the $24 monthly plan on T-Mobile, laser display, no app store, November 16 orders.
- ^ “People are returning Humane AI Pins faster than the company can sell them”. Engadget (Lawrence Bonk), August 7, 2024, reporting The Verge's figures. About 10,000 sold, about 3,000 returned, about 7,000 left with users, 100,000 goal, 1,000+ cancelled orders, the T-Mobile resale problem.
- ^ “Humane Ai Pin woes worsen as recent returns exceed sales”. 9to5Mac (Michael Potuck), August 7, 2024, reporting The Verge's figures. Returns outpacing sales May to August, about $9 million in sales, the 100,000 goal, six years and over $200 million of development.
- ^ “HP Accelerates AI Software Investments to Transform the Future of Work”. HP Inc. press release, February 18, 2025. The $116 million deal for Cosmos, technical talent and 300+ patents and applications; HP IQ.
- ^ “Buzzy startup that raised $230 million for AI pins shuts down after scathing reviews”. The Independent via AOL (Graig Graziosi), February 21, 2025. Reported $850 million valuation, the launch video's mistakes, Brownlee, Verge and Wired reviews, HP's 300+ patents, data deletion, recycling advice.