Apple Weighs Acquisition of AI Startup Perplexity in Internal Talks [Report]

A new report from Bloomberg suggests that Apple executives have been holding internal talks about a potential acquisition of the AI search startup Perplexity. The discussions, said to involve services chief Eddy Cue and head of mergers and acquisitions Adrian Perica, are in early stages as the company looks for ways to bolster its AI talent and technology.



According to people familiar with the matter, no formal offer has been made, and Apple has not yet discussed a bid with Perplexity's management. In a statement, Perplexity said it has "no knowledge of any current or future M&A discussions," while Apple declined to comment on the report.


The talks come as Apple's lucrative search deal with Google, worth an estimated $20 billion a year, faces a threat from a U.S. antitrust lawsuit. During testimony in that case, Cue had previously expressed interest in Perplexity and other AI search providers, noting that Apple was actively looking at alternatives to traditional search for its Safari browser.

A deal for Perplexity could also be a way for Apple to accelerate its AI efforts, which have faced public setbacks. The company was slow to deliver on its Apple Intelligence platform and has been forced to delay a major Siri overhaul until 2026. The AI features that did debut at this month's Worldwide Developers Conference were viewed by many as modest at best.

An acquisition would be a massive one. Perplexity was recently valued at $14 billion, which would make it Apple's largest purchase ever, easily surpassing the $3 billion it paid for Beats in 2014. But an outright purchase isn't the only option on the table. Apple has also reportedly considered a partnership, which could see Perplexity added as a search engine option in Safari and integrated with Siri.

A potential complication, however, is a reported in-the-works deal between Perplexity and Samsung, Apple's biggest smartphone rival. That partnership could see Perplexity's AI features deeply integrated into Samsung devices.


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