Apple has reached an agreement to recruit employees from Huxe AI, a personalized audio startup founded by former Google NotebookLM developers, and license its technology. The arrangement was disclosed in a European Commission regulatory filing, following Huxe’s decision to shut down its AI-powered audio service in May 2026.
According to the European Commission filing, Apple agreed to make employment offers to certain Huxe employees and receive a non-exclusive license to the startup’s intellectual property. The arrangement is commonly known as a reverse acqui-hire, where a company recruits employees and licenses technology without acquiring the entire business.
Apple notified the European Commission of the agreement on June 9, 2026, shortly after Huxe announced its closure. The filing does not identify which employees received offers, confirm whether they accepted them, or disclose the financial terms. Apple has also not announced how it intends to use Huxe’s technology.
Huxe Developed Personalized AI-Generated Audio
Huxe was founded by Raiza Martin, Jason Spielman, and Stephen Hughes, former members of Google’s NotebookLM development team. The founders previously worked on AI-generated podcast features that allowed users to convert documents and research materials into conversational audio discussions.
Google’s NotebookLM service, subsequently renamed Gemini Notebook, became known for producing podcast-style conversations between AI-generated hosts. Huxe developed a similar approach focused on personalized audio content.
The startup’s application generated audio briefings using information from users’ emails, calendars, and personal interests. It also allowed listeners to create podcast-style discussions on selected topics and interrupt AI hosts to ask questions or request additional explanations.
Huxe Shut Down Its Service in May 2026
Huxe announced its shutdown on May 21, stating that its development team was moving on to other projects and would discontinue the application. The company subsequently ended its audio service on May 28 and removed its application from Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
The startup also informed users that their data would be deleted as part of the shutdown process. Its announcement did not disclose the team’s future employment arrangements.
Huxe’s closure was announced one day after Spotify introduced AI-powered podcast features, including question-and-answer functionality and automated audio briefings.
Apple’s Agreement Follows Other AI Hiring Arrangements
Reverse acqui-hire agreements allow technology companies to recruit specialized teams and obtain intellectual property licenses while leaving the original startup as a separate legal entity. Such arrangements have been used by major technology companies seeking AI engineering expertise without completing conventional acquisitions.
As first reported by MacRumors, Apple’s agreement with Huxe follows this structure, with the intellectual property license remaining non-exclusive.
The regulatory disclosure provides no indication that Apple intends to incorporate Huxe’s technology into Apple Podcasts or other existing services.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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