The next tech giant is here

Apple and Meta, two tech giants, are reportedly both watching the same AI startup named Perplexity. It is a search engine, a chatbot, a footnoted oracle – call it what you like. Silicon Valley has adopted Perplexity AI as its new favorite tool for understanding answers and asking questions. This AI has a profound impact on how we search the web, who we believe, and what is seen. Not in a partnership but a purchase, two of the most powerful platforms in the world are interested.

What exactly is Perplexity, then? Why does Apple want it, and why does Meta? This tool is to gain an advantage in the AI race with Google and control the next layer of internet. It’s not just a rumour, but a sign that the future is already being played out.

What is Perplexity AI?

Perplexity, which is a conversational search engine, is more than just a chatbot. It is a powerful, citation-rich tool that has users leaving Google. It is impressive that companies who once dismissed this technology now embrace it.

• Aravind Shrinivas, former OpenAI researcher, launched Perplexity on December 20, 2022.
• Perplexity AI responds to your queries in real time with information from credible sources. 
• ChatGPT is a program that often creates hallucinations or hides the research it has done. Perplexity, on the other hand, shows you where exactly its findings came from, and allows you to choose which AI model drives its results.

By June 2025 the platform would have handled 780 million monthly queries, had grown to 700 employees, and valued at 14 billion dollars. This is why big Tech companies are trying to get in, with no ads and without forced login screens. 

AI, Search and Siri’s issue

The following are some of the ways to get in touch with each other WWDC Apple Intelligence was unveiled in 2025. This marked a major step forward into the AI field. It’s based largely on OpenAI model, and critics have called it a Siri upgrade. 

• Perplexity might be a shortcut Apple takes rarely. According to reports, executives have been in internal discussions regarding the acquisition of Perplexity.
• It has a fast, accurate, and well-loved engine right out of the box. 
• It integrates easily with Siri and Spotlight.

It can also help Apple reduce its dependence on Google’s search engine, which still powers all Safari queries, and generates billions of dollars. The deal could not last forever, given the increasing antitrust pressure. This could be Apple’s last chance to control AI and not only host it.

Why Meta wants in

Meta gained $14.3 billion after investing in Scale AI. 49% Stake hired CEO Alexandr Wang to head its superintelligence push. Meta was said to have entered into acquisition talks in 2025 with Perplexity. It even tried to make an offer, though no formal one was made. recruit Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind SrinivasIts AI leadership.

• AI experts available immediately: Perplexity’s footnoted, model‑agnostic engine complements Meta’s Llama line—offering a data-rich, user-trusted search interface across Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and soon, AR/VR
  
• Talent arms raceMeta has provided incentives up to One Hundred Million Dollars to top AI minds—including OpenAI and DeepMind engineers—to staff its new “superintelligence lab.
  
• Strategic breadth: Platform-wide integration—search, chat, commerce, VR—requires a stack Meta does not yet fully own. Perplexity could be the fastest way to dominance.
  

Meta considers Perplexity to be both a prized and desirable trait. You can buy products at any retailer. A Play for top talentFits Zuckerberg’s urgent mission of building AGI-ready Infrastructure.

Perplexity is different from other similar products.

Perplexity does not just answer your question; it also shows you how the system works. While most AI tools provide a wall full of text which can be helpful at times, it is often a hallucination. Perplexity’s responses include foot-noted explanations, real-time references, and links to its sources. 

• Its transparency is a favorite among researchers, coders and even casual users, who are tired to guess if ChatGPT invented something. 
• It allows you to choose the large language model that will power your results. 
• You can choose between OpenAI, GPT-4 or Anthropic’s Claude model.

Add to this the mobile interface and a voice interaction system that is growing. You can even have a multi-modal view which includes images, text and speech. You will begin to see why Apple values design. Meta also views it as being modular enough to be integrated into anything. 

Over the past two decades, Google has been synonymous with searches. In just one year Perplexity changed that by providing something faster, cleaner and more transparent. 

Two of the world’s most powerful technology companies want to buy it.

 Apple will revolutionize the way people interact with AI. They won’t even need to type in the word search. Meta will be able to weave real-time intelligence into each scroll, swipe and message if it wins.