Apple hires team and licenses tech from AI podcast startup Huxe

[Hawkeye34]

Apple has agreed a deal to hire staff from and license technology from Huxe, a startup that made personalised AI audio, TechCrunch reports. The deal came to light through a filing with the European Commission, and MacRumors spotted it first. It is what is often called a reverse acqui-hire. Apple gets people and a licence to the technology without buying the company outright

The details in the filing are limited. Apple will offer jobs to some of Huxe's AI employees and gets a non exclusive licence to its intellectual property. The filing does not say who received offers or whether anyone accepted. It also does not say what Apple plans to do with the technology

Huxe has an interesting background. Its founders previously worked on the AI podcast features in Google's NotebookLM, which became popular for turning documents into audio discussions. Huxe announced on 21 May that it was shutting down its product, pulling its apps and deleting user data. Apple notified the European Commission on 9 June

TechCrunch suggests AI generated podcasts could be heading to Apple Podcasts. That would make sense given the founders' experience. Spotify announced its own AI podcast generation the day before Huxe shut down, so there is clearly competition in this space. Personalised audio summaries of news, documents or interests could be a useful feature for many listeners

Reverse acqui-hires have become common in AI. They let big companies bring in talent quickly without the regulatory scrutiny of a full acquisition. Apple has been quieter than rivals in AI, so picking up a team with proven audio AI experience is a smart move. It will be interesting to see whether anything shows up at Tuesday's event or later

Would you listen to AI generated podcasts made from your own interests? And do you think Apple is catching up in AI?

Apple discloses deal to hire team and license tech from personalized podcast startup Huxe | TechCrunchtechcrunch.com

[IronQuarry]

Reverse acqui-hires are clever business. You get the people who built the product without inheriting the company's debts or users. Regulators have started looking at these deals more closely, though

The EU filing shows Apple is being careful. They have become a standard move in AI over the past couple of years. The talent is often the real prize

[Warren]

NotebookLM's audio overviews were brilliant when they first appeared. Turning a long document into a natural conversation made it so much easier to absorb. If Apple can bring something similar to Apple Podcasts, I would use it

Commuting with a personalised briefing sounds great. Apple's voice and audio quality could make it even better

[Crossing]

Spotify launching AI podcasts the day before Huxe closed is quite a coincidence. The space is getting crowded quickly. Apple has a huge podcast audience already, which gives it an advantage

Integration with its devices could be a big selling point. The race for AI audio is on

[Stuart]

Apple is catching up, but slowly. Siri has been behind for years, and the company has relied on partnerships for some features

Bringing in experienced AI teams is part of fixing that. The 13 October event will tell us more

Talent acquisitions like this suggest Apple is serious. Tuesday's event could show where this leads

[Maxximus]

Huxe shutting down and deleting user data before the deal is a tidy way to handle it. Users knew where they stood

It avoids awkward questions about what happens to personal data in an acquisition. Good practice