Apple to Acquire Perplexity AI

Apple is reportedly in early discussions about acquiring Perplexity AI, a move aimed at integrating real-time, AI‑enhanced search into its ecosystem and to stay ahead of the competition.

According to Bloomberg, senior Apple figures, including Adrian Perica and Eddy Cue, have engaged in internal talks regarding a potential deal. Perplexity currently handles around 780 million monthly queries, reflecting more than 20 percent growth month over month and a valuation near $14 billion.

Perplexity’s conversational, citation‑rich search and voice‑capable interface present a ready‑made option for Apple’s platforms. As Mark Gurman puts it:

“The most likely acquisition target in the multibillion‑dollar range is Perplexity AI”.

A deal would mark Apple’s largest acquisition to date. Perplexity’s $14 billion valuation dwarfs Apple’s prior high ($3 billion for Beats in 2014).

This initiative ties into Apple’s broader push to reduce dependence on Google, its default search partner for nearly $20 billion in annual revenue. Regulatory scrutiny and antitrust uncertainty have spurred Apple to consider internal alternatives.

Perplexity has yet to confirm any talks:

“We have no knowledge of any current or future M&A discussions involving Perplexity,” the startup told Bloomberg.

Apple's acquisition of Perplexity AI could enhance Siri, Spotlight, Safari, Vision Pro, and future AR glasses with AI‑powered, contextually aware search.

Apple’s interest follows earlier efforts by Meta, which walked away from acquisition negotiations and instead invested in Scale AI.

Perplexity launched in December 2022 and rapidly gained traction. By June 2025, it processed ~780 million monthly queries and achieved a $14 billion valuation, while saying that they are not in competition with Google and still doing what a true Google competitor would do.

What this could mean:

• Apple gains conversational, voice‑centric search with sources cited automatically.
• Brings aboard a lean engineering team (≈700 employees) experienced in LLMs and model‑agnostic frameworks.
• Offers leverage in renegotiating its search engine arrangements and reduces antitrust vulnerability.

Risks & unknowns:

• Talks remain preliminary—no formal offer yet.
• Perplexity’s legal spotlight—copyright and scraping accusations—could complicate integration.
• Apple must balance its strong privacy stance with future data‑driven AI deployments.

Buying Perplexity would shift Apple from outsourcing AI to in‑house innovation, but success hinges on both deal execution and regulatory outcomes surrounding Google’s Search business.

And with this acquisition Apple will also be a direct competitor to Alphabet's Google Search.