3 6 Ke·2025-06-22 08:15Core Insights - Apple is in preliminary talks to acquire Perplexity, with executives like Adrian Perica and Eddy Cue involved, but the high valuation of $14 billion may deter Apple from proceeding with the acquisition [2][4] - Meta is also interested in Perplexity, having previously considered a deal before acquiring a stake in Scale AI for $14.8 billion [2][4] - Perplexity, founded in 2022, is recognized as the world's first conversational search engine, leveraging AI to provide direct, precise, and timely search results [5][6] Company Overview - Perplexity has gained significant attention from major tech companies like Apple and Meta, achieving a valuation of $14 billion within less than four years of its founding [4] - The company has been included in prestigious lists such as Fortune's Global AI Innovators and Forbes AI 50, highlighting its rapid growth and innovation in the AI search space [6] Market Trends - The rise of AI search engines like Perplexity is seen as a potential threat to traditional search engines, with a noted decline in Google search volume as users increasingly turn to AI services [8][9] - Perplexity has experienced rapid user growth, reaching 10 million monthly active users and processing 780 million searches by May 2023, with a projected growth to 1 billion queries per week within a year [9][11] Competitive Landscape - Despite its growth, Perplexity faces significant competition, particularly from Google, which has introduced AI features that mimic the capabilities of AI search engines [11] - Legal challenges regarding content scraping from major publishers pose additional risks to Perplexity's operational model [11] Conclusion - The rapid development of generative AI presents both opportunities and challenges for companies like Perplexity, attracting investment and interest from major players while navigating competitive and legal hurdles [12]