Perplexity AI: Why Apple and Meta are racing to acquire the AI startup?

In the rapidly changing landscape of the world of artificial intelligence, San Francisco-based startup Perplexity AI, which started operation in 2022, has become the most demanded name in the field of conversational search. Perplexity, with over 780 million queries monthly and an insane 20-percent monthly rise rate is being labeled the OpenAI of search, and the firm is currently undergoing acquisition negotiations with two tech giants: Apple and Meta.

They also differ significantly from traditional chatbots. Unlike those, Perplexity AI provides contextual and chatty search results, with visible, non-summarised and sourced answers: no more endless scrolling, no noisy ad-infested pages. It has recently expanded its platform with the introduction of Comet, an AI powered browser assistant to transform how users shop, summarise web content and handle emails.

This innovation has not only made Perplexity a user favourite but also a tool of high interest by the largest tech companies, with the next big AI breakthrough no longer centering on general chatbots but AI-enabled search engine excellence capable of competing with Google and OpenAI.

Apple’s interest in Perplexity maybe a strategic AI pivot

The fact that Apple is interested in Perplexity can be regarded as a game-changer. Siri has fallen behind in the game and Apple has been using Google Search which has been under antitrust legislation, therefore, getting Perplexity could make Apple skip ahead to the AI-first search world. Bloomberg reports that top managers such as Eddy Cue and Adrian Perica had discussed a potential bid, which, in case of success, would become the biggest ever acquisition in Apple history.

“Apple needs to remain relevant in this space. The lack of substantial progress is what raises concerns among many observers,” said Ben Bajarin, CEO and principal analyst at Creative Strategies, in a post on X.

According to industry experts, Apple might directly incorporate the Perplexity tech into Safari or an integrated Siri, which would provide a smooth, AI-based search initiative to the user and lessen the reliance on Google. As tech analyst Neil Cybart posted on LinkedIn “If Apple wants to own the AI search experience on its devices, Perplexity is the fastest way to get there.”

Meta’s AI ambitions

Meta, in turn, is also looking to Perplexity to accelerate its AI initiatives into Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Following the investment of $14.3 billion in Scale AI, Meta needs to prove its investment and its equivalent Llama 4 model has been described as mixed. As stated in reports, Meta has made an earlier bid at Perplexity this year but the negotiations were not successful. Reports confirming that Meta approached Perplexity AI about a potential acquisition before its investment in Scale AI were first published by Bloomberg and The Information.

“Meta is in a race to embed AI deeper into its platforms, and Perplexity’s conversational search could be the missing link,” wrote AI entrepreneur Sam Altman on X, referencing the growing competition in the AI sector (June 2025).

Future outlook

With Apple and Meta trying to narrow the AI gap with Google and OpenAI, the rising popularity of AI search coupled with the high engagement of its users has made Perplexity the most desired AI company of 2025. Owning a $14-billion valuation and is supported by NVIDIA, Perplexity is expected to define the new era of search and digital help.
The interest of two of the largest technology companies in the world regardless of whether the deal happens or not means the next chapter toward the AI race where search engines fueled by AI have a chance of being as revolutionary a decade ago as social media is today.

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