Midjourney Hires Former Apple Engineer for Expansion Into Hardware

AI art/image firm Midjourney is moving into the hardware sector. Known for its advances in generative AI since its launch in 2022, the company has plans to develop its own hardware products. The new initiative was shared on its X account, where they also opened applications for their San Francisco-based hardware team.

New Leadership and Speculation

There is growing speculation about the hardware products Midjourney might introduce. Although specifics are not yet available, the company has referred to “multiple efforts in flight.” A notable hire seems to be a former Apple engineer who contributed to the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, now leading Midjourney’s hardware division. The hiring move points to the company’s serious intentions in the hardware domain.

We’re officially getting into hardware. If you’re interested in joining the new team in San Francisco please email us at [email protected]

— Midjourney (@midjourney) August 28, 2024

Background and Future Prospects

Initially gaining prominence with its AI image generation tools, Midjourney is now seen as diversifying by venturing into hardware. Their AI capabilities becoming integrated with physical products is viewed as a strategic move. The exact nature of the forthcoming hardware remains under wraps, but the tech world is keenly observing how they will merge AI with new hardware offerings.

Of course, the company will continue to develop AI models as its main focus. Just this week, Midjourney expanded its AI image generator to all users for free, giving 25 images without the need for Discord. The move eliminates the previous requirement of using Discord to craft and edit images.

To enhance user accessibility, Midjourney launched a dedicated website late last year, initially for those who had already created 10,000 images via Discord. The platform is now available to all, providing a simplified and user-friendly environment. Midjourney had earlier suspended free usage after social media saw a surge in AI-generated images created via its service.