Perplexity, co-founded by Chief Executive Aravind Srinivas, uses advanced AI models to provide direct answers to search queries, as opposed to a list of website links, something Google is also working on. Microsoft has struggled to make a dent in Google’s search dominance after releasing a new version of its Bing search engine powered by large language models. The search startup Neeva, which operated a product similar to Perplexity, shut down this past year after failing to gain enough traction. Visits to its mobile and desktop app grew 8.6% in February to around 50 million users, according to preliminary estimates from the data service Similarweb. It comes just two months after Perplexity said it had raised $74 million in a deal valuing the startup at $520 million.

Source: Wall Street Journal March 05, 2024 13:30 UTC