In AI the Apple brand is trying to catch up with rivals such as Google (Alphabet) and Samsung Electronics, which have already integrated advanced features into their devices. Last month, CEO Tim Cook signaled a change of direction, saying he was ready for more ambitious acquisitions, breaking with the group's usual caution when it comes to mergers and acquisitions.
Financially backed by Nvidia and Jeff Bezos, Perplexity has stated that it is not aware of any takeover talks, apart from its own external growth plans. So far, Apple and Mistral have not responded.
$10bn for Mistral, $20bn for Perplexity
Valued at over $6bn during its Series B fundraising last year, Mistral (whose financial backers also include Nvidia) is now trying to raise another $1bn, based on a valuation of around $10bn, as the Financial Times says.
Bloomberg already revealed earlier this year that Apple executives had internally discussed a potential bid for Perplexity, which is currently worth around $20bn. However, there is reportedly a disagreement between Eddy Cue, who heads the services division and favors sourcing the technology externally, and Craig Federighi, the software chief, who prefers an internal solution, The Information says.
