Apple has executed another strategic acquihire deal in the AI sector, a transaction now documented as a new case on the EU's Digital Markets Act transparency portal. This marks Apple's fourth notable AI-related deal of the year. The startup in question, Huxe, was established in late 2024 by three key figures from Google's former NotebookLM project. Huxe introduced a personalized AI audio application in mid-2025 and successfully raised $4.6 million in funding. However, it halted product development and discontinued its services in May 2026.

Notably, this deal did not constitute a full-scale acquisition. Rather, Apple extended employment offers to select key personnel from Huxe and secured a non-exclusive license to its intellectual property. This approach aligns with Apple's recent trend of engaging in deals with AI firms that specialize in innovative human-computer interaction technologies.

Acquihires, such as this one, have sparked debate due to concerns that they may circumvent traditional merger and acquisition review processes. U.S. regulatory bodies are now taking note and considering revisions to pre-merger notification regulations to address these emerging practices.