内容来源：https://www.geekwire.com/2025/founders-at-seattle-startup-whylabs-join-apple-following-under-the-radar-acquisition/

内容总结：

苹果公司已正式完成对西雅图人工智能初创公司WhyLabs创始团队的整合。根据欧盟委员会披露信息，该收购案于1月24日完成，交易内容包括获得WhyLabs知识产权许可及聘用其核心团队成员。

WhyLabs四名创始人目前均已就任苹果人工智能相关岗位：前首席执行官阿莱西亚·维斯尼奇担任工程负责人，安迪·当和萨姆·格雷西分别出任主任工程师和主任设计师，玛丽亚·卡拉伊万诺娃担任产品负责人。该公司官网现已声明停止运营，并将平台技术开源。

这家由艾伦人工智能研究所孵化的企业，曾开发AI应用安全性能监控软件，2021年完成1000万美元A轮融资后估值达3700万美元。其被收购被视为苹果增强AI实力的最新举措——近年来苹果已相继收购西雅图地区多家技术企业，包括2020年以2亿美元收购边缘AI公司Xnor，并在当地持续扩大工程团队规模。

目前苹果与WhyLabs均未就交易细节置评。业内分析认为，此次收购将助力苹果应对在人工智能领域与竞争对手的差距。据彭博社报道，苹果正研发新一代AI搜索系统，预计于明年亮相。

中文翻译：

苹果已正式吸纳了西雅图初创公司WhyLabs的创始团队，该公司此前通过一笔秘密交易被苹果收购。GeekWire网站今年早些时候首次报道了此次收购事件。

领英资料显示，WhyLabs四位创始人目前均已在苹果公司担任人工智能相关职务：

• 前WhyLabs首席执行官阿莱西亚·维斯尼奇现任苹果工程团队负责人
• 安德y·邓担任首席工程师
• 萨姆·格雷西担任首席设计师
• 玛丽亚·卡拉伊万诺娃担任产品负责人

WhyLabs官网现已更新公告，宣布"停止运营"并将平台开源。苹果与WhyLabs管理层均未回应本次交易的相关问询。

根据欧盟委员会数字市场法案追踪页面的公示，该交易描述显示："苹果将获得向WhyLabs美洲地区特定员工发出聘约的权利，并获得WhyLabs所有知识产权的非排他性、全球性、永久且不可撤销的许可。"欧盟文件显示交易日期为1月24日，并注明此类收购通常在申报至少四个月后公布，表明WhyLabs收购案实际完成于2024年。

WhyLabs主要开发帮助企业监控人工智能应用安全性与性能的软件，是随着AI软件快速普及而兴起的AI可观测工具浪潮中的代表性企业。这是苹果吞并的西雅图科技初创企业名单上的最新案例——2020年这家库比蒂诺科技巨头曾斥资2亿美元收购专注于边缘AI工具的西雅图初创公司Xnor。

苹果此前还收购了西雅图机器学习初创公司Turi（2016年）和Union Bay Networks（2014年）。苹果在西雅图设有多处办公点组成的大型工程中心，今年早些时候在南联合湖地区签署了新的大型租约，目前在当地开放超过200个职位。

苹果一直被视为在AI竞赛中落后于竞争对手。据彭博社报道，该公司正在开发定于明年亮相的AI驱动搜索系统，并据传曾考虑收购Perplexity、Mistral等AI领域头部企业。

WhyLabs孵化自西雅图艾伦人工智能研究所（Xnor亦曾隶属于该机构）。根据PitchBook数据，该公司在2021年完成1000万美元A轮融资后估值达3700万美元，投资者包括AI Fund、Defy Partners、贝索斯远征基金、Madrona Venture Group和Ascend Venture Group。

维斯尼奇曾在亚马逊任职八年参与机器学习基础设施开发，邓和格雷西也曾供职亚马逊，卡拉伊万诺娃则是Cloudflare前高管兼Madrona投资合伙人。WhyLabs在GeekWire 200太平洋西北地区顶级私营初创企业榜单中排名第81位，并曾入围2023年GeekWire年度初创公司决赛。

英文来源：

Apple has officially absorbed the founding team of WhyLabs, the Seattle startup it acquired in a secretive deal.
GeekWire first reported about the acquisition earlier this year.
Now the founders are working at Apple in various AI-related roles, according to LinkedIn.

• Alessya Visnjic, former WhyLabs CEO, is an engineering leader at Apple
• Andy Dang is a principal engineer
• Sam Gracie is a principal designer
• Maria Karaivanova is a product leader
  The WhyLabs website is now updated with information about the company “discontinuing operations” and open-sourcing its platform.
  Apple and WhyLabs execs haven’t responded to our messages about the deal.
  The deal appears on a European Commission webpage that tracks tech acquisitions under the Digital Markets Act. “Apple will acquire the right to make employment offers to and hire certain Americas-based employees of WhyLabs and a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual and irrevocable license to use all WhyLabs’ intellectual property,” according to the description of the deal.
  The EU lists the deal as dated Jan. 24, noting that such acquisitions are typically published at least four months after notification. That suggests the WhyLabs acquisition came together in 2024.
  WhyLabs built software to help companies monitor their AI applications for security and performance. It was part of a wave of AI observability tools that emerged alongside the rapid adoption of AI software.
  The company joins a growing list of Seattle tech startups gobbled up by Apple. The Cupertino tech giant previously paid $200 million in 2020 to acquire Xnor, a Seattle startup that specialized in edge-based AI tools.
  Apple also acquired Seattle-based machine learning startup Turi in 2016 and Union Bay Networks in 2014.
  Apple has a substantial engineering hub in Seattle across multiple offices. Earlier this year it inked a big new lease in South Lake Union and currently has more than 200 open Seattle-based roles.
  Apple has been seen as lagging behind rivals in the AI race. The company is working on an AI-powered search system slated to debut next year, according to Bloomberg, and has reportedly explored acquiring AI heavyweights including Perplexity and Mistral.
  WhyLabs spun out of Seattle’s Allen Institute for AI, the Seattle-based research institution that also housed Xnor. It was valued at $37 million following a $10 million Series A round in 2021, according to PitchBook. Investors included AI Fund; Defy Partners; Bezos Expeditions; Madrona; and Ascend.
  Visnjic previously spent eight years at Amazon helping develop its machine learning infrastructure. Dang and Gracie were also former Amazon employees. Karaivanova was a former Cloudflare executive and principal at Madrona.
  WhyLabs was ranked No. 81 on the GeekWire 200, our list of top privately held startups in the Pacific Northwest. It was a finalist for Startup of the Year at the GeekWire Awards in 2023.