Apple is reportedly exploring the possibility of acquiring Perplexity AI, one of the fastest growing artificial intelligence startups in the industry. While no formal bid has been made yet, internal discussions within Apple suggest the company is evaluating the strategic potential of such a move. The development comes at a time when Apple is looking to accelerate its AI capabilities, particularly in areas like search and a more advanced version of Siri.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Adrian Perica, Apple’s Vice President of Corporate Development and head of mergers and acquisitions, is said to be involved in these early conversations. The discussions remain internal for now, and Apple has reportedly not reached out to Perplexity’s leadership to initiate formal talks. Despite the lack of official engagement, the move could indicate Apple’s growing urgency to catch up in a market where competitors like Google, OpenAI, and Meta are racing ahead with consumer facing AI tools.
If Apple moves forward with the acquisition, it would mark one of the largest and boldest in the company’s history. Perplexity AI is currently valued at around 14 billion dollars, which far exceeds Apple’s most expensive acquisition to date. That record currently belongs to Beats, which Apple purchased for 3 billion dollars in 2014. Apple is known for its conservative acquisition strategy, typically favoring small companies with specific technical advantages. A purchase of this scale would be a significant shift in how the company approaches growth in the AI space.
Perplexity AI has made headlines in recent months for its innovative search engine powered by generative AI. The platform offers real time answers using natural language processing and has been positioned as a challenger to traditional search models. Its appeal lies in its ability to understand context and deliver concise, readable results, which could align with Apple’s vision of privacy oriented, user first AI tools.
One of the factors driving this consideration is the pressure Apple faces in developing its own AI infrastructure. While it has introduced several AI based features across devices, the overall pace of its in house AI development has lagged behind peers. Siri, Apple’s digital assistant, has seen slow progress, and key upgrades have repeatedly been delayed. A potential acquisition of Perplexity could not only fast track those improvements but also allow Apple to develop an AI driven search product independent of external partners like Google.
This possibility also intersects with ongoing regulatory scrutiny. If antitrust rulings impact Apple’s current agreement with Google, which reportedly earns Apple billions of dollars annually through search engine default settings, owning its own AI based search system could reduce dependence and risk.
While Apple has yet to signal whether this idea will materialize into a concrete deal, the internal discussions highlight the growing importance of AI in the company’s future strategy. Acquiring Perplexity could be Apple’s boldest step yet in redefining how users interact with search, voice, and machine learning across its ecosystem.
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