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Midjourney Expands into Hardware with New San Francisco Team

Midjourney Expands into Hardware with New San Francisco Team

Alicia Shapiro
August 29, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

An image representing Midjourney's expansion into hardware development. The central focus is a sleek, futuristic piece of hardware with digital elements suggesting AI and image generation. The background features a modern tech lab in San Francisco, with engineers working on various devices. Subtle Midjourney branding is visible, indicating the company's involvement. The color scheme uses cool tones like blues and grays, emphasizing innovation and cutting-edge technology

Image Source: ChatGPT-4o

Midjourney Expands into Hardware with New San Francisco Team

Midjourney, the AI image-generating platform that has reportedly generated over $200 million in revenue without any venture capital investment, is making a significant move into the hardware space. The company announced its new venture in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, revealing that its hardware team will be based in San Francisco.

A screenshot of a post on X by Midjourney announcing their entry into hardware. The post reads, 'We're officially getting into hardware. If you're interested in joining the new team in San Francisco please email us at hardware@midjourney.com.' The post was made on August 28, 2024, and has received 2K likes and 171 replies

Image Source: Midjourney X Post

A screenshot of a conversation on X between Kyle Wiggers and Midjourney. Kyle Wiggers asks, 'Care to share more?' in response to Midjourney's earlier post. Midjourney replies, 'We aren't announcing anything specific yet, but we have multiple efforts in flight.' The conversation took place on August 28, 2024.

Image Source: Kyle L Wiggers X Post

Clues to Midjourney’s Hardware Ambitions

While the specifics of what hardware Midjourney plans to develop remain under wraps, there are hints about the direction the company might take. In February, Midjourney hired Ahmad Abbas, a former Neuralink engineer who played a key role in developing Apple’s mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro. Abbas's expertise could suggest that Midjourney’s hardware ambitions might involve advanced technologies like augmented or virtual reality.

Midjourney’s CEO, David Holz, also brings a wealth of hardware experience to the table. Holz co-founded Leap Motion, a company known for creating motion-tracking peripherals. Given this background, it’s possible that Midjourney’s hardware efforts could integrate with its ongoing AI projects, potentially involving video and 3D generation.

Ongoing AI Development Amid Legal Challenges

Despite facing lawsuits over its AI training methods, Midjourney has confirmed that it continues to develop AI models for video and 3D generation. The company’s venture into hardware could be related to these efforts, possibly aiming to create devices that enhance or complement its AI technologies.

As the hardware team takes shape in San Francisco, the tech world will be watching closely to see how Midjourney’s hardware ambitions unfold and how they might impact the broader AI and tech landscape.