The AI race is heating up fast. And Apple is finally playing catch-up.
Both Apple and Meta are reportedly chasing top AI startups and elite talent. At the center of this tug-of-war? Perplexity, a rising star in AI search, and a few other companies you may have heard of—like SSI and Thinking Machines.
Apple Eyes Perplexity to Beat Google Dependence
According to Bloomberg, Apple is in talks to buy Perplexity. Why? Because Apple wants its own AI search engine. Right now, it leans on Google—and that deal might not last forever.
So Apple’s solution? Buy the brains behind the next big thing in search. Perplexity is fast becoming an AI favorite, blending chatbot answers with real-time search.
But Apple’s move also shows something else: its AI game is still weak. While others built their own AI stacks, Apple stayed quiet. Now it’s shopping for shortcuts.
Meta Isn’t Slowing Down Either
Meanwhile, Meta is already deep in the AI war. Before its massive $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, it was also chasing Perplexity—and a few other big names.
Meta reportedly held acquisition talks with:
- Perplexity
- SSI (the new startup from OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever)
- Thinking Machines (led by Mira Murati)
And it didn’t stop there.
Zuck’s Billion-Dollar AI Bet
Meta is now trying to hire Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross—two top AI investors—to boost its “superintelligence” unit under Alexandr Wang (yes, the Scale AI CEO).
These names may not be as famous as Zuckerberg, but in the AI world, they’re rockstars.
Meta’s message is clear: if you’re smart and you’ve touched a neural net, they want you—badly.
$100M Sign-On Offers?
Even Sam Altman from OpenAI couldn’t stay quiet. He recently claimed Meta tried offering $100 million signing bonuses to lure his team.
None took the bait. But still—$100M offers? That’s Silicon Valley’s version of panic mode.
What It Means
Apple is late to the AI party, but it’s throwing money now. Meta, meanwhile, is spending even more—and going after the entire AI ecosystem.
This fight isn’t just about who builds the next big model. It’s about owning the future of intelligence—and that starts with buying the right people.
Startups like Perplexity are caught in the middle. And the world is watching who wins.
Also Read Who’s the 28-Year-Old Meta Just Bet $14.8B On — and Why It Could Change Everything!
