Apple would have taken over maker of speech software Pullstring

Apple has reportedly acquired Pullstring, a company primarily engaged in the development of speech software. The deal is likely to be worth tens of millions of dollars, though Apple has yet to respond.

The takeover was reported by Axios, which relies on reports from multiple undisclosed sources. Apple itself did not want to respond to the reports; this is not usually the case with relatively small acquisitions. As a result, it is not yet clear what the company wants with Pullstring.

Apple probably wants to use Pullstring mainly to improve its Siri speech and information system. Pullstring’s main product is Converse, with which apps for voice assistants Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant can be made, among other things.

Pullstring was founded in 2011 by former Pixar employees. The latter is now owned by Disney.