U.S. broadcaster CNBC reported on the 11th (local time) that Apple is in the final stages of negotiations to acquire key talent and technology from computer vision startup Prompt AI (hereafter Prompt).
According to an audio recording obtained by CNBC, Prompt's executives told employees about the transaction with Apple during an all-hands meeting on the 10th and said employees who do not join Apple will face pay cuts. They also urged staff to apply through Apple's public job postings.
The executives added that they had also received acquisition offers from other corporations, including xAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) startup of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Neuralink. They then asked, "Please refrain from mentioning Apple until further notice."
Prompt was founded by AI researcher Tete Xiao, who received a Ph.D. in computer science from UC Berkeley in 2023, and Trevor Darrell, founder of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR) lab. The same year, it raised a $5 million seed round.
With a staff of 11, Prompt is a startup specialized in computer vision technology that gives AI "eyes." Its flagship app is "Seemour," which connects to home security cameras. When the camera recognizes specific people, pets, or objects and detects abnormal activity, Seemour sends users warning alerts or text-based explanations.
CNBC reported that Apple's acquisition of Prompt is expected to be an acquihire—where recent major technology corporations recruit a startup's key talent and acquire technology such as licenses—rather than buying the company outright.
Prompt's technology and talent are widely expected to be integrated into HomeKit, Apple's smart home institutional sector.