Apple's leadership has been quietly exploring the possibility of acquiring Perplexity AI, a rising star in the AI-powered search scene. This early-stage internal discussion, involving Adrian Perica (head of M&A), Eddy Cue (Services), and other AI team leaders, has not yet turned into a formal offer—and Perplexity confirms they haven’t been approached officially.
Perplexity, valued at about $14 billion after its latest funding round, powers a next-gen search platform that returns conversational summaries instead of traditional search results. If Apple moves forward, it would mark its most significant acquisition yet—surpassing the $3 billion Beats deal.
Why Apple is Interested
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Apple’s lucrative $20 billion-per-year deal with Google to stay default in Safari is now at risk due to U.S. antitrust scrutiny.
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Executives believe that AI-based search is gaining ground over conventional search—especially among younger users.
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Acquiring Perplexity would bring Apple ready-made AI talent, brand recognition in conversational search, and tech that could be embedded into Safari or Siri.
Industry Context
Meta previously attempted to acquire Perplexity and eventually invested in another AI firm, Scale AI; recognizing Apple and Samsung are also eyeing Perplexity shows how competitive the AI race has become. Samsung is reportedly negotiating with Perplexity to integrate its technology into future Galaxy devices.
What’s Next
While the talks remain exploratory, Apple may pursue either an acquisition or a strategic partnership to weave Perplexity’s AI into products like Safari or Siri. The outcome of the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google could influence Apple’s direction.
Credit: Article originally published by GSM Arena.
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