Apple is reportedly considering its most bold acquisition but: AI startup Perplexity, whose AI-driven search engine and chatbot are among the many main ChatGPT options with round 15 million customers.
In accordance with a brand new Bloomberg report this week, Apple’s head of mergers and acquisitions, Adrian Perica, has been in talks with companies SVP Eddy Cue and the corporate’s prime executives a couple of potential supply. Discussions are nonetheless in a really early stage, and Apple has but to make a bid, however executives have met with Perplexity a number of instances over the previous few months, Bloomberg experiences.
One other risk is a team-up with Perplexity, somewhat than an acquisition. The final word purpose can be to combine Perplexity’s tech into an AI-based search engine or use it to make Siri smarter now that Apple’s deliberate AI revamp for its assistant has been pushed into 2026.
Much like ChatGPT Search, Perplexity is a cross between a standard search engine and an AI assistant. It makes use of giant language fashions to comb the net to reply person queries in a conversational means, much like interacting with a knowledgable assistant. It is also constructed with cross-platform accessibility in thoughts, so customers can entry its AI-powered search and assistant options on a variety of units.
A wise transfer on Apple’s half
Buying Perplexity could possibly be a strategic fallback for Apple if regulators pressure the corporate to finish its partnership with Google. With Perplexity underneath its belt, Apple may speed up the event of its personal AI-powered search engine throughout the most effective iPhones, serving to it shut the hole with opponents like Google and Meta in the AI race.
It could not come at a greater time too. Bloomberg reported on Friday that Meta tried to scoop up Perplexity first earlier this yr earlier than transferring forward with Scale AI. At WWDC 2025, Apple was cagey a couple of concrete timeline for the complete rollout of Apple Intelligence upgrades for Siri. It is shortly changing into clear that Apple wants some outdoors assist bringing its meant AI options to market, and Perplexity may fill that function.
If a deal is reached, it might be the most important in Apple’s historical past. Perplexity is valued at round $14 billion, a determine that dwarfs Apple’s most important deal to this point: buying Beats for $3 billion again in 2014.
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