Apple’s $2B Acquisition of Q.ai: A Historic Move in Tech
Apple has officially announced its acquisition of the Israeli AI startup, Q.ai, in a deal approximately worth $2 billion. This monumental transaction marks Apple’s second-largest acquisition in its history, second only to the $3 billion purchase of Beats in 2014.
The deal, which was announced on January 29, 2026, brings groundbreaking artificial intelligence technology into Apple’s ecosystem. Q.ai is renowned for its cutting-edge technology that analyzes facial expressions and enables “silent speech” capabilities. This technology has the potential to interpret micro-movements in facial skin, potentially allowing users to communicate with Siri without the need to speak aloud.
As part of the acquisition, Apple will also acquire Q.ai’s entire founding team. This includes CEO Aviad Maizels, who previously founded PrimeSense—an Israeli startup that was acquired by Apple in 2013. PrimeSense formed the technological foundation for Apple’s Face ID. Patents filed by Q.ai reveal applications for headphones and glasses that use facial movements for non-verbal communication. This suggests that Apple may be planning to integrate this technology more deeply into its wearable device lineup.
Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, has stated that Q.ai is pioneering new ways to use imaging and machine learning. This acquisition is a strategic move by Apple to strengthen its AI capabilities, as it faces increasing competition from tech giants like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape.
Source: MacRumors