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Uber finds new rival in Apple as tech company courts Lyft

Uber boss Travis Kalanick may have a new nemesis: Apple boss Tim Cook.

Apple was recently in talks to take a stake in Lyft, the No. 2 ride-hailing app in the US, as part of a “strategic partnership” that could pose a fresh domestic threat to Uber, sources told The Post.

The size of Apple’s potential investment in Lyft couldn’t be learned, and it’s not clear whether the talks are still ongoing, according to sources briefed on the situation.

Discussions about the possible partnership with Apple were focused on forming a possible competitive and operational alliance, sources said.

The talks, the sources added, weren’t part of Lyft’s exploration of strategic alternatives this summer, a process that was led by investment bank Qatalyst Partners.

“M&A was not discussed at all,” a source close to the talks told The Post, adding, “There’s no interest from Apple or Lyft in an acquisition” of Lyft.

Apple’s talks with Lyft are the latest sign that the iPhone maker is escalating what could be a global battle with Uber as both companies expand into self-driving-car technology.

Qatalyst, led by hard-charging tech banker Frank Quattrone, “reached out” to Apple about a possible Lyft acquisition, one source noted, as it likewise brokered discussions with prospective acquirers including Google, Amazon and GM.

That process, which Lyft’s board initiated after it received an expression of interest from GM, didn’t result in any serious merger discussions, sources said.

A mobile device displaying the Didi Chuxing app near an Apple store in Beijing, China.AP

Meanwhile, sources said the operational tie-up being discussed by Apple and Lyft was similar to the one Apple took in July with its $1 billion stake in Chinese ride-sharing giant Didi Chuxing.

The deal with Didi, which has been valued at $26 billion, was a key factor in Uber’s decision last month to give up its aspirations to compete as a stand-alone company in China and merge its operations there with Didi’s, according to some industry insiders.

Likewise, the prospect of Apple becoming a deep-pocketed backer of Lyft, which was valued at more than $5 billion in its most recent round of funding, could change the competitive equation for Uber in the US, sources said.

San Francisco-based Lyft has lately been battling speculation that it is looking to find a buyer, as the end of Uber’s fight with Didi in China has freed up cash for a possible showdown with Lyft in the US.

Lyft execs have countered that the company has $1.4 billion in cash, although it has disclosed it’s spending $600 million as it dangles incentives for drivers and passengers alike in an aggressive battle for market share against Uber.

“Lyft is not for sale, we are on a fully funded path to profitability,” a spokeswoman said Sunday.

On Monday, officials at Apple and Lyft declined to comment.