The one-billion-dollar date and the build or buy dilemma in the age of artificial intelligence
You blinked and suddenly there are Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, probably toasting with a Chardonnay in Palo Alto. The photo that circulated in 2017 may be old, but the context feels incredibly current. Rumours indicate that Apple and Google are about to seal a new billion-dollar agreement for Siri to be powered by Gemini, Google’s artificial intelligence model.
Not bad for a corporate dinner worth one billion dollars a year.
What is happening
Apple, which not long ago launched its own AI model, Apple Intelligence, appears to be facing a problem every product leader knows far too well: the gap between ambition and delivery capability. The internal model, with around 150 billion parameters, is still crawling when compared with Google’s colossus, which runs on 1.2 trillion parameters.
Faced with this technological abyss, Tim Cook seems to have chosen the most pragmatic path: buying what the company is not yet able to build.
Build or Buy, the eternal product dilemma
In the world of product management, this decision is almost a rite of passage. When a new need arises, a critical technology emerges or a strategic shift is required, the team must answer the question: “Do we build it internally or buy it from someone who has already solved it?”
Apple, which traditionally prefers to build everything in-house, now appears to be surrendering to the same dilemma that challenges both startups and large corporations every single day.
But there is something important here: this choice is not only technical. It is also a decision about timing and focus.
Apple, even as a giant, realised that standing still to build everything alone can cost more than paying to move forward.
Why this matters for anyone managing products
Tim Cook’s move is a lesson in strategic humility. When the market speeds up and disruption hits fast, forming partnerships can be smarter than insisting on building everything from scratch. In this case, pragmatism is worth more than technical pride.
For those working in product management, the episode leaves a few valuable reminders:
The dinner in Palo Alto and the future
If the deal truly goes through, we will see Siri gain new power and perhaps a real chance to compete on equal footing with the most advanced assistants on the market. And we will see an Apple that is more agile, more open and, interestingly, more human.
Because in the end, every great product leader knows: innovation is not about doing everything alone, it is about knowing who to sit at the table with.
Every major shift begins with a conversation.
Give purpose and direction to your product management
In product management, every decision including the build or buy dilemma shapes the future of the business.
If you want to structure teams, accelerate delivery and turn vision into results, we can build that path together.
