Latest news with #AdrianPerica
Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Apple executives held internal talks about buying Perplexity: Reports
Apple executives have held internal talks about potentially bidding for artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The discussions are at an early stage and may not lead to an offer, the report said, adding that the tech behemoth's executives have not discussed a bid with Perplexity's management. "We have no knowledge of any current or future MA discussions involving Perplexity," Perplexity said in response to a Reuters' request for comment. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. Big tech companies are doubling down on investments to enhance AI capabilities and support growing demand for AI-powered services to maintain competitive leadership in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. Bloomberg News also reported on Friday that Meta Platforms tried to buy Perplexity earlier this year. Meta announced a $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI last week and hired Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang to lead its new superintelligence unit. Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, has weighed the idea with services chief Eddy Cue and top AI decision-makers, as per the report. The iPhone maker reportedly plans to integrate AI-driven search capabilities, such as Perplexity AI, into its Safari browser, potentially moving away from its longstanding partnership with Alphabet's Google. Banning Google from paying companies to make it their default search engine is one of the remedies proposed by the US Department of Justice to break up its dominance in online search. While traditional search engines such as Google still dominate global market share, AI-powered search options including Perplexity and ChatGPT are gaining prominence and seeing rising user adoption, especially among younger generations. Perplexity recently completed a funding round that valued it at $14 billion, Bloomberg News reported. A deal close to that would be Apple's largest acquisition so far. The Nvidia-backed startup provides AI search tools that deliver information summaries to users, similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
As race for AI startups heats up, Apple, Meta mull Perplexity acquisition
Live Events To stay ahead in the artificial intelligence (AI) race, tech giants such as Apple and Meta are eyeing the acquisition of AI executives have held internal talks about potentially bidding for AI startup Perplexity , Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the report added that discussions are at an early stage, and that the tech giants' executives are yet to approach Perplexity's management."We have no knowledge of any current or future M&A discussions involving Perplexity," Perplexity said in response to a Reuters report further added that Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), has weighed the idea with services chief Eddy Cue and top AI iPhone maker is reportedly exploring ways to integrate AI-driven search features, such as Perplexity AI, into its Safari browser, potentially moving away from its longstanding partnership with Alphabet's Google continues to dominate the search engine space globally, AI-powered alternatives like Perplexity and ChatGPT are gaining traction, particularly among younger Bloomberg News also reported on Friday that Meta Platforms tried to buy Perplexity earlier this week, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company invested $14.2 billion in Scale AI and roped in its CEO, Alexandr Wang. Wang is set to take a leadership role at a newly established, 50-person research lab at Meta, tasked with creating artificial superintelligence (ASI)—AI systems designed to surpass human developments come days after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman accused Zuckerberg of trying to poach OpenAI's talent , speaking at his brother's podcast, 'Uncapped'.Meta is said to be eyeing other startups as well, including Safe Superintelligence —a $32 billion venture launched by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever just last told CNBC that Meta approached Sutskever earlier this year with an offer to acquire the company, but he reportedly turned it the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has opened an antitrust case against Meta , accusing it of buying rivals to kill competition and build a social media deals were at the centre of the case: Facebook's acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 and WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Apple executives held internal talks about buying perplexity: Report
Apple executives have held internal talks about potentially bidding for artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The discussions are at an early stage and may not lead to an offer, the report said, adding that the tech behemoth's executives have not discussed a bid with Perplexity's management. "We have no knowledge of any current or future M&A discussions involving Perplexity," Perplexity said in response to a Reuters' request for comment. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment. Big tech companies are doubling down on investments to enhance AI capabilities and support growing demand for AI-powered services to maintain competitive leadership in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. Bloomberg News also reported on Friday that Meta Platforms tried to buy Perplexity earlier this year. Meta announced a $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI last week and hired Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang to lead its new superintelligence unit. Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, has weighed the idea with services chief Eddy Cue and top AI decision-makers, as per the report. The iPhone maker reportedly plans to integrate AI-driven search capabilities - such as Perplexity AI - into its Safari browser, potentially moving away from its longstanding partnership with Alphabet's Google . Banning Google from paying companies to make it their default search engine is one of the remedies proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice to break up its dominance in online search. While traditional search engines such as Google still dominate global market share, AI-powered search options including Perplexity and ChatGPT are gaining prominence and seeing rising user adoption, especially among younger generations. Perplexity recently completed a funding round that valued it at $14 billion, Bloomberg News reported. A deal close to that would be Apple's largest acquisition so far. The Nvidia-backed startup provides AI search tools that deliver information summaries to users, similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Business
- Hans India
Apple Weighs Potential Bid for AI Startup Perplexity Amid Growing Industry Interest
Apple Inc. is reportedly exploring the possibility of acquiring Perplexity, a fast-rising artificial intelligence startup, as part of its broader push into AI-powered search technologies. According to Bloomberg News, internal discussions have taken place among senior Apple executives, although no formal offer has been made and the talks remain at an early stage. The report suggests that Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, has informally discussed the potential deal with services chief Eddy Cue and top AI strategists. However, sources indicated that Perplexity's leadership has not yet been approached, and Apple has not issued any public comment on the matter. In response to media inquiries, Perplexity stated it is unaware of any ongoing or upcoming M&A discussions. This news comes on the heels of mounting interest from other tech giants in Perplexity. Meta Platforms also reportedly explored acquiring the startup earlier this year, underscoring the growing competition in AI-driven search. Meta recently committed $14.8 billion to Scale AI and appointed its CEO Alexandr Wang to head a new superintelligence division, reinforcing the urgency among tech giants to secure AI talent and infrastructure. Founded with backing from Nvidia, Perplexity is valued at $14 billion following a recent funding round. Its core offering is an AI search tool that delivers concise, context-aware answers to users, positioning it as a strong alternative to traditional search engines like Google. As Apple considers enhancing its Safari browser with AI search capabilities, integrating technology similar to Perplexity could serve as a major step in reducing its dependency on Alphabet's Google—currently Safari's default search engine. The U.S. Department of Justice has proposed regulatory measures to curb Google's search monopoly, including banning it from paying companies to secure default search status. This regulatory backdrop may accelerate Apple's shift toward developing or acquiring in-house search solutions. While the traditional search market remains dominated by Google, new AI-powered platforms like Perplexity and OpenAI's ChatGPT are rapidly gaining traction, especially among younger users who favor faster, more intuitive information delivery. If Apple moves forward with an acquisition close to Perplexity's reported valuation, it could mark the company's largest-ever deal—a sign of how seriously the iPhone maker is taking the AI arms race.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Apple talking to AI startup Perplexity, claims report and why it pulled down Google shares
Apple Inc. is exploring a potential acquisition of AI startup Perplexity AI to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities, according to Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter. The discussions, led by Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, alongside services chief Eddy Cue and key AI decision-makers, are in early stages and may not result in a formal offer, the sources said, speaking anonymously due to the private nature of the talks. Apple buying Perplexity will be the company's largest-acquisition so far A deal for Perplexity, recently valued at $14 billion, would mark Apple's largest acquisition ever, surpassing its $3 billion purchase of Beats in 2014. The move could help Apple develop an AI-powered search engine, addressing concerns over its $20 billion annual deal with Google, which faces scrutiny from US antitrust regulators. No discussions have occurred with Perplexity's management, and the startup stated it has 'no knowledge of any current or future M&A discussions.' Apple declined to comment. Why Apple-Perplexity news pulled down Google stock Google shares reversed gains and fell nearly 1% in late trading after Bloomberg reported on Apple's Perplexity discussions. The news sparked investor concerns about Google's long-standing dominance in the search market, particularly its lucrative $20 billion annual deal to remain the default search engine on Apple's Safari browser. Apple's senior vice president, Eddy Cue, revealed during Google's antitrust trial that Safari search volumes declined for the first time in April, attributing this to growing user preference for AI-driven search alternatives like Perplexity and ChatGPT. If Apple acquires Perplexity, valued at $14 billion, it could reduce reliance on Google, threatening the latter's search advertising revenue, which accounted for $162 billion of Alphabet's $283 billion in 2022 revenue. The potential loss of this partnership, combined with the U.S. Department of Justice's push to curb Google's search monopoly, heightened market fears. Additionally, Perplexity's 20% month-over-month query growth signals a shift toward AI search, challenging Google's traditional model despite its own AI efforts like Gemini. Why Apple may be planning to buy Perplexity Perplexity's real-time, web-based question-answering service could enhance Apple's efforts to compete in generative AI, where it trails rivals. Apple's recent AI offerings, unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference, include live translation and a partnership with OpenAI for ChatGPT-based image generation, but a revamped Siri has been delayed until next spring. Acquiring Perplexity could provide Apple with AI talent, a recognized brand, and a consumer product to strengthen its position. Alternatively, Apple has considered partnering with Perplexity, potentially integrating its technology into Safari and Siri. The companies have met multiple times, with Apple's AI team evaluating Perplexity's technology, signaling interest in a closer relationship. Meta and Perplexity talks failed The news follows Meta Platforms Inc.'s failed attempt to acquire Perplexity earlier this year, after which Meta purchased a 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.3 billion. Apple and Meta are also competing for talent, with both companies vying to hire Daniel Gross, co-founder of Safe Superintelligence Inc. and a former Apple acquisition via his startup Cue in 2013. Google shares dipped nearly 1% in late trading after the report. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
