Apple Brings WhyLabs Founders Onboard After Quiet Acquisition

Apple has officially welcomed the founding team of Seattle-based AI startup WhyLabs following a low-profile acquisition that largely flew under the radar.

GeekWire first revealed the acquisition earlier this year, and new LinkedIn profiles now confirm that WhyLabs’ founders have joined Apple in key artificial intelligence roles.

WhyLabs Leadership Joins Apple

The former WhyLabs leadership team has taken on several positions within Apple’s AI organization:

• Alessya Visnjic, former CEO of WhyLabs, is now an Engineering Leader at Apple.
• Andy Dang has joined as a Principal Engineer.
• Sam Gracie is serving as a Principal Designer.
• Maria Karaivanova has become a Product Leader.

While Apple has not publicly commented on the acquisition, the career updates provide the clearest confirmation yet that the startup’s core team has transitioned to the tech giant.

WhyLabs Ends Operations

The WhyLabs website has also been updated, announcing that the company has officially discontinued operations.

Rather than shutting everything down completely, the startup has chosen to open-source its platform, allowing developers and organizations to continue using its technology.

Neither Apple nor former WhyLabs executives have responded to requests for additional details regarding the acquisition.

European Commission Reveals Deal Details

Evidence of the transaction appeared in filings published by the European Commission, which tracks acquisitions involving major technology companies under the Digital Markets Act.

According to the filing, Apple acquired the right to hire certain Americas-based WhyLabs employees along with a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, and irrevocable license to use all of WhyLabs’ intellectual property.

The filing is dated January 24. Since such acquisitions are typically published at least four months after notification, the documents suggest the agreement was finalized sometime in 2024.

Financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

AI Observability Startup Focused on Enterprise Security

WhyLabs developed software that helped businesses monitor artificial intelligence applications for security, reliability, and performance.

The company emerged during the rapid growth of generative AI as demand increased for AI observability platforms capable of detecting issues, monitoring model behavior, and improving AI system performance.

The startup spun out of Seattle’s Allen Institute for AI (AI2), the same research organization that previously launched edge AI startup Xnor.

Another Seattle AI Startup Joins Apple

WhyLabs becomes the latest Seattle-area AI company to be acquired by Apple.

The tech giant purchased Xnor for approximately $200 million in 2020, adding edge AI expertise to its growing artificial intelligence efforts.

Apple also acquired Turi, a Seattle-based machine learning startup, in 2016, followed by Union Bay Networks in 2014.

The company continues expanding its engineering presence in Seattle. Earlier this year, Apple signed a major new office lease in South Lake Union and currently has more than 200 open positions in the Seattle area.

Apple Continues Strengthening Its AI Strategy

Apple has widely been viewed as trailing some competitors in the artificial intelligence race.

Reports indicate the company is developing an AI-powered search system expected to launch next year. Bloomberg has also reported that Apple explored acquiring leading AI companies including Perplexity and Mistral as it accelerates its AI strategy.

WhyLabs Built Strong Investor Support

WhyLabs raised significant venture backing during its growth.

Following a $10 million Series A funding round in 2021, the startup reached a valuation of approximately $37 million, according to PitchBook.

Its investors included AI Fund, Defy Partners, Bezos Expeditions, Madrona, and Ascend.

Before founding WhyLabs, Alessya Visnjic spent eight years at Amazon helping build the company’s machine learning infrastructure. Co-founders Andy Dang and Sam Gracie also previously worked at Amazon, while Maria Karaivanova held leadership roles at Cloudflare and venture capital firm Madrona.

WhyLabs was ranked No. 81 on the GeekWire 200, recognizing it as one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading privately held startups. The company was also named a finalist for Startup of the Year at the 2023 GeekWire Awards.

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