Ashton Kutcher became the new celebrity spokesperson and product engineer of Lenovo, a Chinese-based company that is the largest PC maker in the world, according to USA Today.
His new title, announced by live stream on Tuesday night, isn't actually that surprising - and not just because he played the title role in the failed Steve Jobs biopic in August.
The 35-year-old actor studied biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa and has relationships with Google, Apple, and other tech companies, according to USA Today. His "proven track record in tech investments," including co-founding the venture capital firm Grade A Investments in 2011, means he won't just be using his name to contribute at Lenovo. He'll also be lending his expertise on software and product design, USA Today reported.
"It's somewhat of a dual role," Kutcher told USA Today by phone. "Lenovo makes really, really, really good hardware. I hope to make their products as consumer friendly as possible."
David Roman, chief marketing officer at Lenovo, gave some broad insight into Kitcher's role.
"This partnership goes beyond traditional bounds by deeply integrating him into our organization as a product engineer," Roman said. "Ashton will help us break new ground by challenging assumptions, bringing new perspective and contributing his technical expertise to Yoga Tablet and other devices."
Kutcher's new role coincides with the launch of Lenovo's new "Yoga Tablet." Both were announced on Tuesday night. The $249 tablet isn't a perfect rectangle like the iPaid Air and most other tablets, but instead has a cylindrical "grip" on one end that makes it easier to handle -- as if one was reading one page of a folded magazine, according to Forbes. The appendage also houses the processor and the batter, which can last for 18 hours. The Yoga Tablet has a kickstand as well.
"On the first day I saw the prototype, I was very excited. Day by day I've become more excited," CEO Yang Yuanqing told Forbes.
Since it draws most of its revenue from PCs (a projected 86 percent in fiscal year 2014), the Yoga Tablet represents something of a risk for Lanovo, especially given its unique design, Forbes reported. That doesn't scare off Kutcher and his venture capitalist ways.
"If you look at my career, what's constant is I like to take risks - so does Lenovo," Kutcher said.