Tim Cook says Apple is ‘open to’ AI acquisitions

Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that the company is "open to" mergers and acquisitions as it significantly increases its investment in artificial intelligence (AI). This comes as Apple is seen as falling behind in the AI race, with its efforts on Apple Intelligence lagging behind its peers and facing talent poaching from companies like Meta. To catch up, Apple is reportedly looking to AI startups and even considering acquiring AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic to power its "LLM Siri." The company has also discussed acquiring the AI search startup Perplexity. Despite these AI-related challenges, Apple's core businesses remain strong, with the iPhone, Mac, and services segments all seeing growth in the latest quarter. However, the company may face other challenges, such as the potential impact of President Trump's tariffs, which could cost Apple at least $900 million during the June quarter. Apple is expected to launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and iOS 26 in September, which will feature the "Liquid Glass" design language.