this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023

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Apple may be quiet on AI, but it’s also the biggest buyer of AI companies (qz.com)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/technology

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from [email protected]

Apple has been the leading buyer of AI startups since 2017, acquiring 21 companies, nearly double the number purchased by Microsoft and Meta.

While other Big Tech companies like Google and Microsoft are vocal about their AI investments, Apple remains relatively quiet, choosing to announce things as they come to market.

The startups Apple has acquired focus on areas like self-driving technology, voice design, music generation, and image recognition.

This acquisition strategy contrasts with companies like Microsoft and Google, who are more cautious with acquisitions due to antitrust scrutiny and instead opt for partnerships with startups.

Apple's AI investments have contributed to new iPhone features such as personal voice and real-time voicemail transcription.

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[+] [email protected] 57 points 1 year ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

[removed by mod]

[–] Earthwormjim91 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

These startups just wouldn’t exist at all then.

They start up with the intention of being bought out by a bigger fish.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not a loss. You can make an AI startup with the goal of being profitable yourself.

[–] Earthwormjim91 1 points 1 year ago

You can, but it’s not what people generally do. Not have they since the web was created. Starting a website or tech startup to get bought out has been a thing since at least the dot com bubble.

[+] bob_wiley 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] Earthwormjim91 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s been this way forever. Long before Google even. My uncle made millions during the dot com bubble by starting up a website, getting some traffic, then selling it off a bigger company. He did that 2 or 3 times and then retired in his 30s lol.

Hell that’s what the dot com bubble was in the first place. A million startups all trying to get bought by a bigger player.

[–] mr_tyler_durden 5 points 1 year ago

I think the current startup scene leads to some pretty perverse incentives, as we’ve seen. However, I agree with you, and something needs to fill the void. A number of these startups have a very hard to no path to profitability but the ideas they come up with and execute on aren’t happening at larger corps.

I think maybe with less of a monopoly/duopoly/etc we can move past the “you have to own the whole market or it’s not worth it”-mindset. That’s one thing I hate so much about SV/startup culture. You’re either a unicorn or you’re a failure, which is total bullshit but when VCs and the like are involved those are the only 2 options.

I have my own side business, it’s small right now but it could grow to support me fully. It will never be a billion dollar idea, it will never “change the world”, but it’s an honest job and over time if I keep growing it I could go full time on it. I wish more people aimed for something like that.

I’ll also get up on my soapbox and talk about how things like UBI, universal healthcare, and similar programs would make this path 10000x easier for people. Having a safety net and not having to pay a second mortgage for healthcare would be nice.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

So what you're saying is that it's a win for everyone except some borderline scammers then?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How do you not "allow" it? I'm pretty sure we also had to break things up during the gilded age?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

The state has the power to prevent mergers, the problem is that courts have been captured and half of the time the governments are run by people that are perfectly fine with neo-feudalism.

[–] Zeth0s 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The truth is that apple is buying because it has been unable to keep up with competition.

Focus of Apple has never been innovating, it has always been recognizing innovation from others with huge market potential, and invest to sell it to mainstream market.

This is what it is doing with ai as well. It has always been their business model, they are the best at it, so they'll keep doing it.

[–] mr_tyler_durden 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Agreed. Apple is rarely first to use a technology, but they sort of “perfect it”, or release a version that works for a large amount of the populous. Obviously they don’t always hit home runs but very often when they release a product it sets a new baseline of what to expect out of that type of thing.

[–] Dibbix 5 points 1 year ago

And then sue the crap out of anyone that has anything somewhat similar

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I know one thing, siri couldn't possibly get worse.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"I am sorry Aeternum, I can't let you do that. Your outstanding Apple fees mean I am unable to process your request. Please rectify your finances before using my services again"