The $14 Billion Rival Ready to Challenge Google’s AI Dominance

Perplexity, a San Francisco-based AI startup valued at $14 billion after recent funding, is creating buzz in Silicon Valley. It positions itself as an “answer engine,” providing polished, human-like summaries of web content with footnotes, intended to offer a cleaner, ad-free search experience. Critics argue that it primarily reorganizes existing internet data and lacks proprietary technology, labeling it a mere interface on top of Google’s and OpenAI’s frameworks. Despite skepticism, tech giants like Meta and Apple are reportedly considering acquisition, drawn by its fast growth and potential threat to Google’s search dominance. However, concerns loom over its sourcing practices, with various media outlets accusing it of content plagiarism. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas defends it as an aggregator and has initiated revenue-sharing for content creators in response to backlash. As search continues to drive significant revenue, control over the next search interface remains crucial for Big Tech.

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