A nearly 3-year-old AI startup has reportedly caught the attention of two of the largest and most influential tech companies, underscoring the fierce competition for AI talent and push to become leaders in what some believe will be the next major evolution of the internet.

The interest from both Silicon Valley giants raises an important question: why are they eyeing a much smaller company like Perplexity?

In our opinion, any such deal … would likely be positive for shares that are currently in the penalty box given Apple is largely viewed as an AI laggard,” wrote the BofA an