Apple has acquired an Israel-based AI startup called Q.ai, according to a new report from the *Financial Times*. The report says the deal is valued at close to $2 billion, making it one of Apple’s largest acquisitions ever.
In a statement to *Reuters*, Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, said:
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*Reuters* reports that Q.ai’s founding team will join Apple, including CEO Aviad Maizels. If that name sounds familiar it’s because this is the second company Maizels has sold to Apple, following a deal for PrimeSense in 2013 for $345 million.
Q.ai is a startup developing a technology to analyze facial expressions and other ways for communication. The company has largely operated in secret since being founded in 2022. Its website simply says: “In a world full of noise we craft a new kind of quiet. Magic. Realized.”
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[https://9to5mac.com/2026/01/29/apple-acquires-secretive-q%E2%80%A4ai-startup-for-2-billion/](https://9to5mac.com/2026/01/29/apple-acquires-secretive-q%E2%80%A4ai-startup-for-2-billion/)
