Investors Are Pressuring Apple (AAPL) to Make a Major AI Acquisition | Markets Insider

Published 17 hours ago• 2 minute read

Tech giant Apple (AAPL) is feeling the pressure from investors to change how it does business in order to catch up with its artificial intelligence tech. So far in 2025, Apple’s stock has dropped by more than 16%, which has wiped out over $640 billion in market value. A big reason is that Apple has been slow to release impressive AI features for its products. Analysts say that this is partly because Apple avoids large acquisitions. But some now believe that Apple needs to break from tradition and either buy or invest heavily in a major AI company.

Indeed, other tech companies, like Meta (META), are spending huge amounts on AI and attracting top talent, which has helped their stock prices rise. Meanwhile, Apple has been more cautious, but that might be changing. According to Bloomberg, Apple has discussed the possibility of buying Perplexity AI, a startup recently valued at $14 billion. This would bring new talent and AI capabilities to Apple, especially in search tools. In addition, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said that even a $30 billion deal would be worth pursuing, calling it a “no-brainer” given how much Apple could gain from stronger AI features.

Apple has also reportedly thought about using outside AI technology to upgrade Siri, rather than building it all in-house. Furthermore, there are signs of leadership changes inside Apple. In fact, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams is retiring, and longtime CFO Luca Maestri left last year. While CEO Tim Cook is expected to stay, Bloomberg reports that the company is preparing for a wider shake-up. Some experts believe that this could be a good thing. For example, analysts at LightShed Partners said that missing out on AI could seriously harm Apple’s future, and even suggested that Cook himself should be replaced.

Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on AAPL stock based on 15 Buys, 10 Holds, and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average AAPL price target of $228.29 per share implies 9.4% upside potential.