Apple agrees to hire staff and license tech from Huxe

Apple has disclosed a regulatory agreement to employ personnel from the personalised audio startup Huxe and to obtain a non-exclusive licence to its intellectual property. The arrangement, described as a reverse acqui-hire, was revealed in a filing submitted to the European Commission. This type of deal allows larger corporations to secure key talent and technology from emerging firms without executing a full corporate acquisition, a strategy often used to integrate new capabilities while potentially avoiding heightened antitrust scrutiny.

The startup, which was founded by developers who previously worked on AI-generated podcast features for NotebookLM, recently rebranded that product as Gemini Notebook. Huxe announced on 21 May that it was ceasing operations. The company stated on its website that it would remove its application from the Apple and Google app stores, halt its services, and delete user data. The team noted that they were moving on to new projects and would not continue product development. In a message to users, the company expressed gratitude for their engagement, suggestions and ideas, stating that the community involvement made it feel as though the product was built collectively.

Apple notified the European Commission of the deal on 9 June, shortly after Huxe’s shutdown announcement. The regulatory filing does not specify which employees received job offers, nor does it confirm whether those individuals accepted the positions. Furthermore, the document provides no details regarding Apple’s specific plans for the licensed technology or the hired staff. The timing of the deal coincides with a broader industry trend towards personalised audio content, which some executives believe could replace traditional podcast formats.

The move by Apple follows a similar announcement by Spotify, which unveiled its own AI-powered podcast generation features on 20 May, the day before Huxe’s closure. This suggests that Apple may be seeking to add comparable functionality to its own Podcasts application. While tech industry leaders appear enthusiastic about the potential of personalised audio to transform listening habits, it remains unclear how many regular listeners share this view or are willing to adopt such changes to their media consumption. The deal highlights the increasing competition among major technology firms to integrate artificial intelligence into their existing audio and media platforms.