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Apple’s second biggest acquisition ever is an AI company that listens to ‘silent speech’
- Richard Lawler
- January 29, 2026 at 7:22 PM
- 14 views
Apple's biggest acquisition ever is still its $3 billion Beats buy in 2014, but now the second biggest deal is bringing in Q.ai, a four-year-old AI audio startup. Apple did not disclose the terms, but Financial Times reports that Apple is spending $2 billion on the company, and mentions Q.ai patents for technology that could be built into headphones or glasses to recognize "facial skin micro movements," allowing for non-verbal discussions with an AI assistant, for example.
The founders of Q.ai will join Apple, including CEO Aviad Maizels, who founded PrimeSense. Apple bought that company in 2013 and repurposed its Xbox Kinect technology to …
Originally published at The Verge