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🤖Apple Agrees to Hire Huxe Team and License Tech

Apple scoops up Huxe AI talent and tech

TL;DR

Apple is bringing on Huxe AI's team and licensing its tech in a reverse acqui-hire deal. This move allows Apple to build AI talent and tech without drawing antitrust scrutiny.

Apple has agreed to hire certain employees from Huxe AI and license its intellectual property in a reverse acqui-hire deal. This strategic move lets Apple bolster its AI capabilities without acquiring the startup outright, sidestepping potential antitrust issues. The deal is particularly relevant for developers and teams working on AI-generated podcast features, as Apple could be looking to integrate similar functionalities into its Podcasts app. Huxe AI was founded by developers who previously worked on AI-generated podcast features in NotebookLM (now Gemini Notebook), and the deal was notified to the European Commission on June 9.

Apple Agrees to Hire Huxe Team and License Tech — TechCrunch

Key Points

1

Apple agreed to make employment offers to certain Huxe AI employees, notified the European Commission on June 9.

2

Huxe AI was founded by developers who previously worked on AI-generated podcast features in NotebookLM (now Gemini Notebook).

3

The deal allows Apple to license Huxe's intellectual property rights without acquiring the startup outright.

4

Huxe AI shut down on May 21, removing its app from Apple and Google stores and deleting user data.

5

Tech executives are enamored with personalized audio, but it's unclear how many regular listeners agree.

Why It Matters

Apple's deal with Huxe AI allows it to build up AI talent and tech without drawing antitrust scrutiny. This move is particularly relevant for developers and teams working on AI-generated podcast features, as Apple could be looking to integrate similar functionalities into its Podcasts app. The deal also highlights the growing trend of reverse acqui-hires in the tech industry.

applehuxe aiai-generated podcastsreverse acqui-hire

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