Citing Bloomberg, Apple has discussed in advance purchasing Perplexity, a search startup that uses AI technology. Although no direct negotiations with the leadership of Perplexity have been held, Apple M&A head Adrian Perica was quoted as having canvassed the idea with the top management, including Eddy Cue. This is an indicator that Apple is increasingly becoming urgent to carry out a vitrification of its AI search, with a possibility of integrating products such as Perplexity into its Safari browser. As AI-powered search engines are on the rise, the interest in this area by Apple should be explained partially by the pressure the company has to compete with functionalities such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
Perplexity, An Emerging AI Challenger in Search
Perplexity has quickly emerged as a prominent player in AI search, offering users concise, conversational summaries of information. Its tools function similarly to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini but focus on real-time data sourcing and citation, blending search and chatbot experiences. Perplexity’s rise reflects broader momentum in the AI-native search sector, which increasingly appeals to younger users seeking faster, more intuitive answers.
Valued at $14 billion in its latest funding round, Perplexity has attracted major backers, including Nvidia, and now faces acquisition interest from multiple tech giants. Meta reportedly attempted to buy the startup earlier this year before shifting focus to its $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI. Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has since recruited Scale CEO Alexandr Wang to lead a new superintelligence division, underscoring the urgency among incumbents to secure AI assets.
For Apple, Perplexity could offer an immediate boost to its search ambitions. By embedding Perplexity’s models into Safari, Apple could reduce reliance on Google while providing a native AI assistant experience, an increasingly strategic differentiator. With the U.S. Justice Department challenging Google’s default search deals, Apple may see both opportunity and pressure to pivot toward in-house AI search.
Apple’s AI Push and Strategic Search Shift
Apple’s growing interest in AI search reflects a larger shift in strategy to elevate its ecosystem with native generative capabilities. While rivals like Microsoft have integrated OpenAI’s models across platforms and Google advances Gemini, Apple has remained quiet until now. The company’s potential acquisition of Perplexity would represent its most aggressive AI play to date and its largest acquisition ever if it reaches the $14 billion valuation.
Internally, Apple is considering using Perplexity to power AI-enhanced search in Safari, a move that could eventually loosen Google’s longstanding grip on iOS search defaults. Such a pivot would align with regulatory momentum; the U.S. DOJ is pushing to limit Google’s power by banning deals that ensure default status on browsers and devices. If Apple develops its own AI-powered search layer, it could sidestep regulatory risk and add value for users through more private, integrated experiences.
Moreover, Perplexity’s model would allow Apple to rapidly deploy generative AI in a consumer-friendly interface without building from scratch. This gives the company a shortcut to meaningful AI competition without compromising on its privacy principles. It also bolsters Apple’s positioning as a closed-loop hardware-software ecosystem that controls every layer of the user experience, including search.
AI M&A Arms Race Intensifies
Apple’s interest in Perplexity underscores the intensifying AI arms race among tech giants. As Meta, Microsoft, and Google double down on model training and acquisitions, Apple appears ready to break from its typically cautious approach. Perplexity could be Apple’s ticket into the AI search market, one of the most valuable entry points for user engagement and data. If Apple proceeds, the move could mark a major inflection point: the start of a new era in which AI-native products, not legacy partnerships, define search and discovery across devices. Whether Apple acts or not, Perplexity’s position in the AI landscape just became more valuable.
About The Author
