In a significant announcement made on Tuesday, Humane revealed that it has been acquired by HP in a deal worth $116 million. As a direct consequence of this acquisition, the hardware startup has decided to immediately cease sales of its $499 AI Pins. Furthermore, the company has informed customers who have already purchased the device that it will cease to function by the end of the month, specifically at 12 PM PST on February 28, 2025, as stated in a recent blog post.

Following this date, Humane’s AI Pins will no longer be able to connect to the company’s servers, resulting in the loss of various functionalities such as calling, messaging, AI queries and responses, and cloud access. Consequently, Humane is advising all AI Pin owners to promptly transfer their important data and photos to an external device to avoid any potential losses.

In addition, Humane has announced that it will dissolve its customer support team for the AI Pin on February 28, marking the end of its support services for the device.

This development marks the conclusion of Humane’s brief but eventful journey as a hardware startup. The company initially garnered significant attention in April 2024 with the launch of its AI Pin, which was positioned as a potential replacement for smartphones. Founded by former Apple employees Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri, Humane secured over $230 million in funding to develop the device.

However, the AI Pin ultimately failed to meet the expectations of many early reviewers and customers, plunging the company into a crisis. At one point during the summer of 2024, the returns of the AI Pin surpassed its sales, as reported by The Verge. Moreover, Humane faced further challenges when it advised customers to discontinue using the device’s charging case due to concerns over battery fires. In an effort to revitalize sales, the company lowered the price of the AI Pin by $200 in October.

As part of the acquisition, HP will be taking on Humane’s engineers and product managers, who will form the foundation of a new division within HP called HP IQ. This “AI innovation lab” will focus on developing an intelligent ecosystem across HP’s products and services, with a focus on the future of work, as outlined in a blog post announcing the acquisition.

HP will also acquire certain technologies developed by Humane, including its CosmOS AI operating system. Recently, Humane demonstrated the potential of this operating system to run on various devices, such as car entertainment systems, smart speakers, TVs, and Android phones, as seen in an ad published in December. The integration of this technology could enable HP to incorporate AI capabilities into its personal computers and printers.

It is worth noting that Humane had previously explored the possibility of being acquired in May 2024, with a potential price tag ranging from $750 million to $1 billion, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Humane has not responded to TechCrunch’s request for comment at this time.