Overview

• Apple executives including M&A chief Adrian Perica and services head Eddy Cue have held early-stage talks about acquiring Perplexity AI.
• Such an acquisition would eclipse Apple’s $3 billion Beats deal by matching Perplexity’s $14 billion valuation.
• Apple is seeking to expand AI functionality in products like Siri and Safari given uncertainty over its $20 billion default search agreement with Google.
• Perplexity AI reported 20% month-over-month growth and processed 780 million search queries in May, demonstrating rapid user adoption.
• Perplexity is also in discussions with Samsung to preload its AI search engine, which could complicate any exclusive arrangement with Apple.