Apple Reportedly In Talks to Acquire Perplexity AI Amid Investors’ Lawsuit & Push for Own Search Engine

Apple would be in the first internal talks of the AI ​​perplexity acquisition – a fast -growing research startup on AI – as part of its wider and more and more urgent thrust in artificial intelligence.

According to Bloomberg, discussions have taken place among the best leaders in Apple, notably Adrian Perica, the Apple mergers and acquisitions, SVP Eddy Cue services and other decision -makers leading the business AI efforts.

This decision – always in its formative stages without any formal offer still made to perplexity, goes as Apple faces the growing pressure of investors and the wider technological industry to move more decisively in the AI ​​breed. It also follows a trial of shareholders which accuses the company of overexpressing its capacities of AI, a complaint which sparked an amazing loss of $ 900 billion of market value earlier this year.

The potential perplexity agreement would represent a rare pivot for Apple, known for the construction of internal technology rather than acquiring external companies. The latest major purchase of this magnitude was its acquisition of $ 3 billion in Beats Electronics in 2014. An outright acquisition of perplexity, valued at around 14 billion dollars, would easily overshadow this agreement.

However, Apple’s options seem to shrink. Although the company has silently integrated AI into its devices and services, it has lagged behind in the generative race of arms on the AI ​​dominated by Openai, Google, Meta and even smaller disruptors as anthropic and Mistral. Analysts have increasingly called the company to consider daring movements – including acquisitions – to fill the gap.

What Apple wants perplexity

Perplexity AI, a startup positioning itself as the new generation response engine, uses large -scale language models to provide real -time search results supported by quotes. Apple would have discussed not only of the acquisition of the company, but also about the training of a strategic partnership. This could involve the integration of Perplexity AI technology into Safari and Siri, considerably reshaping the user research experience through Apple ecosystem.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has encountered the perplexity several times in recent months and even explored an integration of safari – something more puff in Foucault revealed during its testimony in the current antitrust trial against Google. The appearance of Cue highlighted the challenges of Apple’s current agreement with Google, which pays Apple about $ 20 billion per year to remain the default search engine on iPhones and Safari browsers.

But this partnership is now under legal control, and if the regulators force Apple to relax it, the company will need a robust independent search engine. This is where perplexity could become a critical asset – not as a product, but as a source of high -end AI talents.

The AI ​​talent war intensified

Apple, like its rivals, is deeply engaged in the current war for AI talents. According to reports, he is even in competition against Meta to hire Daniel Gross, co-founder of Safe Superintelligence Inc. and a former partner of Y Combinator. This indicates Apple’s intention to consolidate its AI leadership, especially after internal delays and public losses.

Earlier this year, the company has postponed a major upgrade to Siri, part of its new “Apple Intelligence” suite, citing performance and integration challenges. The deadline made an investor track and added to the perception that Apple was lagging behind in IA innovation.

The urgency behind Apple’s efforts was amplified by a shareholder trial filed on Friday, accusing the company of investors in overestimating the preparation and capacities of its AI systems.

The trial drew more attention to the prudent Apple AI strategy, which contrasts strongly with the aggressive deployment seen by rivals like Microsoft and Google. While Apple maintains a strong reputation for confidentiality and quality control, many believe that its secret and conservatism have left it vulnerable to a time defined by open innovation and rapid iteration.

Perplexity as a key part of the puzzle

Founded in 2022, Perplexity quickly attracted attention to offer a friendly alternative and focused on responses to traditional search engines. Its conversational interface, supported by responses supported by quotes and update with real -time data, distinguishes it from competitors. The company recently raised $ 500 million in new funds, assessing $ 14 billion.

Currently, Apple talks with perplexity remain exploratory. But even the consideration of such a daring decision suggests a major strategic inflection point in Cupertino. After years of hesitation from AI, Apple seems ready to respond to investors’ pressure and the momentum of industry.