Apple to hire team and license tech from AI startup Huxe

Apple revealed in a regulatory filing that it reached an agreement to hire team members and license technology from personalized audio startup Huxe. As first reported by MacRumors, Apple notified the European Commission on June 9 about the transaction.

Under the terms disclosed to the regulator, Apple agreed to make employment offers to certain employees of Huxe AI. The iPhone maker will also receive a non-exclusive license to Huxe's intellectual property rights.

The transaction follows a structure commonly called a reverse acqui-hire. This allows larger technology firms to absorb specialized talent and technology without buying a startup outright or triggering heavier antitrust scrutiny.

Huxe was established by developers who previously worked on the artificial intelligence podcast tools in NotebookLM, which was recently renamed Gemini Notebook. On May 21, Huxe announced it would shut down, pull its application from Apple and Google app stores, discontinue service, and delete user data. The regulatory filing does not reveal which employees received job offers or what specific products Apple intends to build.