In a deal worth close to $2 billion, Apple confirmed Thursday it has acquired Q.ai, a Tel Aviv-based startup developing advanced machine learning systems for audio and communication. The entire Q.ai team, including Maizels and co-founders Yonatan Wexler and Avi Barliya, is joining Apple’s engineering and AI groups. While rivals raced ahead with generative AI, Apple stuck to scripted responses and limited functionality. This acquisition suggests Apple is taking a different approach: rather than just making Siri chattier, it’s making the entire input layer more sophisticated. With Meta, Google, and Amazon all investing heavily in audio AI and wearables, Apple can’t afford to let Siri remain the punchline it’s become.