Jony Ive Net Worth

What is Jony Ive's Net Worth?

Jony Ive is an English technology designer who has a net worth of $2 billion. In 2012, Jony's net worth topped $100 million for the first time. In 2012, Jony's net worth topped $100 million for the first time. By the time he left Apple in 2019, his previous salaries and stock options gave him a net worth of at least $500 million. He became a billionaire in May 2025 after selling his company, io, to OpenAI for $6.5 billion. More details about this transaction later in this article, but it is estimated that Jony owned 11% of io at the transaction, which would result in him receiving $715 million worth of OpenAI profit-sharing units that vest over five years. With that deal, Ive became one of the few non-CEO product designers in history to reach billionaire status — a milestone that even his years of high compensation and Apple stock never achieved.

Jony Ive's career at Apple began in the early 1990s. He eventually rose to be the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design. Ive's design philosophy, which emphasizes simplicity, elegance, and usability, has been instrumental in the development of groundbreaking products such as the iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and iPod. His work not only transformed Apple into a technology leader but also redefined consumer electronics' look and feel, blending technology with lifestyle.

Ive's influence extends beyond specific products; he played a key role in establishing the minimalist design language that defines Apple's identity. His commitment to craftsmanship and detail, along with a deep collaboration with engineering teams, resulted in products that are both aesthetically pleasing and technologically advanced.

In recognition of his contributions to design and technology, Ive has received numerous awards and honors, including a knighthood. After leaving Apple in 2019, he founded LoveFrom, a creative collective focusing on design across various industries, continuing to impact the world through his visionary approach to design. LoveFrom reportedly generates $200 million per year in revenue thanks to its work with clients like Ferrari.

Jony owns a $100 million real estate portfolio, primarily concentrated in San Francisco's Jackson Square neighborhood.

Apple Stock and Compensation

During his nearly three-decade tenure at Apple, Ive was one of the company's most valuable — and privately compensated — executives. During a brief four-year period (2008–2011) when his holdings were visible in SEC filings, Ive reportedly sold Apple stock for an estimated $75 million after taxes. His compensation was deliberately kept out of Apple's public disclosures because he was not a Section 16 officer. As a result, his full earnings from Apple — including retention bonuses, stock options, and secretive long-term incentive packages — remain unknown but are believed to exceed $400–500 million. Despite being Steve Jobs' closest creative collaborator and the visionary behind Apple's most iconic products, Ive did not reach billionaire status solely through his Apple earnings.

Early Life

Ive was born on February 27, 1967, in Chingford, Essex, United Kingdom. His full name is Jonathan Paul Ive. His father, Michael, worked as a silversmith and lecturer at Middlesex Polytechnic. As a child, Ive attended the Chingford Foundation School and then Walton High School in Stafford. He was diagnosed with dyslexia while in high school.

Ive was interested in car design in his youth. When he enrolled at Newcastle Polytechnic, he decided to study industrial design. He finished his degree in 1989. Some of his designs earned him the RSA Student Design Award, which allowed him to travel to Palo Alto, California, where he met a number of design experts. He then returned to the UK, where he became an intern at the product design agency Roberts Weaver Group.

(Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for The New Yorker)

Pre-Apple Career

After working with the Roberts Weaver Group for about a year, Ive joined Tangerine, a London startup design agency. Ive did not really enjoy the work, however, as he often found himself working with clients who had different ideas. During this time, Robert Brunner of Apple attempted to recruit Ive to Apple, though Ive declined. However, Ive did begin working with Apple as Apple became an early client of Tangerine. Ive was instrumental in the initial designs of the PowerBook.

Joining Apple

In September of 1992, Ive was formally recruited to Apple, meaning he had to move his family from London to California. His first few years at Apple were challenging due to the company's initial lack of commercial success. Steve Jobs, who had been ousted by other Apple executives, staged a return to the company and collaborated with Ive to try to take the company in a new direction.

After Jobs formally returned, Ive became the senior vice president of industrial design in 1997. His first major design assignment in this role was the iMac, which was introduced in 1998. Ive is credited with designing the computer's translucent plastic case. The iMac is thought to have paved the way for later Apple products, like the iPod and iPad.

Ive continued rising in power and leadership at Apple in the 2000s. The work he did in his office was kept secret from anyone outside of his core team of around 15 people, including Ive's own family. Jobs and Ive collaborated closely on products, as their offices were linked through a hidden corridor and single-access doors.

In 2013, Ive's role changed to Senior Vice President of Design, and Ive announced that he thought his best work for the company was still to come. He was again promoted to Chief Design Officer in 2015. He spent two years in a more executive role before resuming more creative design responsibility in 2017.

In June 2019, Apple announced Ive's departure from the company.

Kimberly White/Getty Images

LoveFrom

After departing Apple in 2019, Jony Ive launched a design firm called LoveFrom, which he co-founded with longtime friend and collaborator Marc Newson. The company was intentionally shrouded in secrecy, operating without a public website, social media presence, or even a formal logo. Ive explained that the name "LoveFrom" was inspired by a phrase Steve Jobs often used when discussing craftsmanship — the idea of creating things with care, even when no one is watching. The studio's ethos centered on applying design excellence to a wide range of fields beyond consumer electronics, including architecture, fashion, automotive design, and health care.

Though LoveFrom maintained a low public profile, it quietly assembled a small team of elite designers, many of whom had previously worked under Ive at Apple. The studio signed long-term contracts with major clients, including Airbnb and Ferrari. At Ferrari's parent company, Exor, Ive and Newson were enlisted to reimagine the future of luxury transportation, while the collaboration with Airbnb aimed to improve the design of physical and digital products alike.

LoveFrom's work emphasized sustainability, humanity, and elegance. It operated more like a creative collective than a traditional design consultancy, with a mission that extended beyond commercial objectives. Ive also used the firm as a platform for philanthropic efforts and conceptual design explorations — including charity collaborations with brands like Leica and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

io Acquisition

In 2023, Jony Ive co-founded a secretive design startup called io alongside fellow former Apple executives Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan. The goal of the venture was to explore how artificial intelligence could be integrated into physical products in a way that would improve human experience, without relying on the traditional smartphone format Ive helped pioneer. Ive described the effort as a response to the anxiety and distraction caused by always-on digital devices, saying he felt a personal responsibility for the downsides of the iPhone era.

Backed by OpenAI's Start-up Fund, io began developing prototypes for a new class of A.I.-native hardware devices. One of the first people Ive approached about the concept was OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, whose company had helped ignite the global A.I. boom with the launch of ChatGPT. Altman and Ive became close collaborators, envisioning a future of "ambient computing" where people interact with A.I. through elegant, wearable devices—like pendants or glasses—that analyze the world in real-time.

In May 2025, OpenAI announced it was acquiring io in a deal valued at $6.5 billion, making it the largest acquisition in the company's history. OpenAI already owned 23% of io, so the acquisition price reflected an additional $5 billion investment to acquire full control. As part of the agreement, Ive's design studio, LoveFrom, remained an independent entity, while the rest of the io team—including Cannon, Hankey, and Tan—joined OpenAI as employees under the company's new hardware division. Ive himself assumed a leading creative role within OpenAI, guiding the development of what he and Altman described as "a new family of products for the age of artificial general intelligence."

Ive's personal stake in the company was never publicly disclosed, but he was widely considered the largest individual shareholder. OpenAI already owned 23% of io before the acquisition, suggesting the remaining $5 billion was shared among founders and investors, enough to finally push Jony Ive's net worth into the ten-figure territory. It was a rare feat: a designer, not a founder or CEO, becoming a billionaire through a mix of iconic industrial design, equity ownership, and vision for the future of human-machine interaction.

It is estimated that at the time of the OpenAI acquisition, Ive owned 11% of io. If true, that equates to him receiving $715 million in profit-sharing units that vest over five years.

Awards and Honors

Ive's career has been marked with many awards and honors. He has been appointed as a Royal Designer for Industry by the United Kingdom, as well as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and a Knight Commander of the Same Order. He has also received numerous honorary degrees from institutions like the Rhode Island School of Design and California College of the Arts. The Royal College of Art also designated him an honorary doctor. In 2016, he was awarded honorary doctorate awards by the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. His design style is said to be influenced by the work of Dieter Rams, the chief designer of Braun from 1961 to 1995, as well as the German Bauhaus tradition.

Personal Life

While attending high school, Ive met Heather Pegg. The two later began dating and then got married. Pegg works as a writer and historian. They have two children together and primarily reside in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Ive, in general, likes to avoid publicity and live a private life.

Ive still enjoys automobiles and automotive design. He attends auto shows and also sometimes judges various auto design competitions. He is particularly interested in British automobile manufacturers such as Aston Martin and Land Rover.

Ive has lent his product design skills to several charitable causes and organizations. He once designed a Leica camera for a charity auction that went on to set the world record price for a camera. He has also designed a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch for an HIV/AIDS charity auction, which raised $13 million.

The designer is also known for having a signature personal look, which is downplayed and minimalist. He keeps a closely shaved buzzcut and often sports mono-colored t-shirts, linen shirts, and canvas pants.

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