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yesterday

Apple Considers $14 Billion Acquisition of Perplexity AI

Apple’s opening talks are focused on embedding Perplexity’s AI-driven search into Siri to reduce reliance on its Google search deal.

The Perplexity app in the Apple App Store on a smartphone arranged in Washington, DC, on Sunday, June 1.
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Overview

  • According to Bloomberg, Apple executives led by head of M&A Adrian Perica and Services chief Eddy Cue have held early internal discussions on a potential purchase of Perplexity AI, with no formal offer yet made.
  • Perplexity AI, valued at $14 billion and backed by investors including Jeff Bezos and Nvidia, offers a conversational search engine that blends large language models with real-time web results.
  • The acquisition would surpass Apple’s previous top deal — the $3 billion purchase of Beats in 2014 — making it the company's largest-ever, if completed at Perplexity’s current valuation.
  • Apple’s interest is driven by delays in rolling out advanced Siri features and by the need for a fallback search engine as regulators scrutinize its Google search deal.
  • Perplexity has faced criticism and legal threats from news outlets over content scraping practices, raising concerns about potential intellectual property disputes.