Apple executives have reportedly held internal discussions about the possibility of acquiring the artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, according to Bloomberg News on Friday.
Apple Explores Potential Bid for AI Startup Perplexity: Bloomberg
Apple has reportedly held early-stage internal discussions about the possibility of acquiring artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, according to a Bloomberg News report on Friday, which cited sources familiar with the matter.
The talks are said to be preliminary, and no formal offer has been made. Notably, Apple executives have not yet engaged in any discussions with Perplexity’s management team, the report added.
Both Apple and Perplexity declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
As competition in the AI sector heats up, major tech firms are ramping up investments to enhance their artificial intelligence capabilities and meet the surging demand for AI-driven services. These efforts are crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in the fast-evolving technology landscape.
Earlier the same day, Bloomberg also reported that Meta Platforms had attempted to acquire Perplexity earlier this year. Meta recently committed $14.8 billion to Scale AI and brought in its CEO, Alexandr Wang, to lead a new superintelligence unit.
Within Apple, Adrian Perica, the company’s head of mergers and acquisitions, is said to have explored the idea of a Perplexity acquisition with Eddy Cue, head of services, and other key AI decision-makers.
Reports suggest Apple is considering integrating AI-powered search capabilities like those offered by Perplexity into its Safari browser. This move could signal a shift away from Apple’s long-standing reliance on Google as the default search engine.
This comes amid broader scrutiny of Google’s dominance in search, with the U.S. Department of Justice proposing remedies such as banning default search engine payments to curb Google’s market control.
While traditional search engines like Google continue to lead in market share, AI-based alternatives such as Perplexity and ChatGPT are rapidly gaining traction, particularly among younger users seeking faster, smarter, and more interactive search experiences.
Perplexity recently completed a funding round that valued the company at $14 billion, according to Bloomberg. If Apple proceeds with an acquisition at or near that valuation, it would mark the largest deal in Apple’s history.
The Nvidia-backed startup offers advanced AI search tools that generate concise information summaries, similar to services provided by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.