Perplexity

San Francisco, California, United States · Founded 2022

201-500 employees · ~$1.72B

Sourced & current · updated Aug 11, 2026Website

AI-powered answer engine and emerging search competitor to Google. Founded 2022 by Aravind Srinivas (CEO, ex-OpenAI/DeepMind), Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski. ~$1.72B raised, ~$22.6B valuation as of Jan 2026. Launched ad platform Nov 2024 (Sponsored Questions w/ Criteo, Indeed, WPP); abandoned advertising program Feb 2026 citing trust concerns. AdTech relevance: canonical answer-engine target for GEO/AI visibility optimization, browser-layer disruption via Comet, and the industry's reference case for 'AI search + ads = trust collapse'.

Where they sit

Stack tier: Ecosystem Services (A)

AI-Powered Platform

Leading AI-native answer engine; primary non-Google/Bing search challenger in the generative AI era; central reference point for GEO strategy and AI search monetization debate

Ownership

Subsidiaries

Comet

Competitors