Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) investors enjoyed sizable returns during the time with Tim Cook leading the company as CEO from 2011 to 2026. New CEO John Ternus has big shoes to fill and entrepreneur/investor Jason Calacanis has some ideas of what Apple could do to get a head start.
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Calacanis Lays out Apple Acquisition Ideas
While Apple is focused on the launch of the iPhone 18 and the highly anticipated foldable iPhone Duo, Calacanis would like to see the tech giant start to make some acquisitions.
The All-In Podcast co-host came ready with a list recently shared on social media of 10 companies, some private and some public, that Apple should acquire.
"Spend that Apple war chest on big swings — only takes on breakout," Calacanis tweeted.
The 10 companies named are, with some descriptions from Calacanis:
- Perplexity AI: search/default LLM
- Wispr Flow: voice to test, Siri
- Superhuman: AI office suite
- Exo Labs: Local open-source AI
- Robinhood Markets Inc (NASDAQ:HOOD): finance platform
- Go.AI: AI infrastructure
- Digital Ocean Holdings Inc. (NYSE:DOCN): create an AWS competitor
- Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS): obvious
- DoorDash Inc (NASDAQ:DASH) and Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER): get into the real world of logistics
Of the 10 companies named by Calacanis, five are currently publicly traded and five are privately traded. Here’s a look at the current market capitalizations or private valuations for the companies that have information available:
- Perplexity: could be worth $30 billion in a funding round led by NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA)
- Wispr Flow: $2 billion valuation in August 2026
- Superhuman: Acquired by Grammarly for a reported $825 million
- Exo Labs: no information
- Robinhood: $112 billion market capitalization
- Go.AI: No information
- Digital Ocean: $17 billion market capitalization
- Disney: $180 billion market capitalization
- DoorDash: $84 billion market capitalization
- Uber: $145 billion market capitalization
It’s important to note that Calacanis admitted on X to a comment in the replies that he owns shares of four of the 10 companies he mentions that Apple should buy.
Will Apple Make a Big Acquisition?
Some analysts and investors have been calling for Apple to make a big acquisition for years, especially in the AI space where the company has lagged behind some rivals.
Currently, the largest acquisition in Apple history is its $3 billion deal to buy Beats in 2014. Unlike other large technology companies, Apple has grown mostly through new products and internal launches. The company has made only two acquisitions that totaled $1 billion or more in its history.
Some of the names shared by Calacanis could be done for a few billion dollars or less, while others would be huge company-changing deals.
The Perplexity deal may stand out the most given the rise of AI companies and Apple’s role in the sector.
Apple previously almost merged with media giant Disney. A deal to acquire a major media company such as Disney could change the course for Apple and see the company with a larger emphasis on streaming, movies and TV.
The Services segment has been a big driver for Apple growth and profits. Calacanis pushing for an acquisition of DoorDash and/or Uber could expand on that focus.
Apple ended the third quarter with $147 billion in cash, which is not enough to acquire the entire shopping list or companies such as Disney or Uber.
With Ternus now in charge of Apple, acquisitions could become more normal than in the past as he looks to put his stamp on the future of the technology giant.
Image via Shutterstock
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