TechCrunch reports that Apple disclosed an agreement with personalized-audio startup Huxe in a filing with the European Commission. Under the deal, Apple agreed to make employment offers to certain Huxe AI employees and will receive a non-exclusive license to the startup’s intellectual property.
The structure is often called a reverse acqui-hire: a larger company recruits talent and licenses technology without buying the startup outright. TechCrunch says Apple notified the Commission on June 9, shortly after Huxe announced that it was winding down.
What Huxe built
Huxe was founded by former Google employees Raiza Martin, Jason Spielman and Stephen Hughes, who had worked on NotebookLM’s AI-generated podcast features. The app let people enter a prompt and generate a podcast or podcast series about a topic.
In May, Huxe said it was shutting down. TechCrunch reported that the company removed its app from Apple’s App Store and Google Play, planned to stop service and said it would delete user data.
What the filing leaves open
The disclosed agreement does not identify which employees received offers or say whether anyone accepted. It also does not explain what Apple plans to do with the licensed technology. Because the license is non-exclusive and the filing describes employment offers rather than a purchase, the disclosure does not show that Apple acquired Huxe or owns its technology outright.