Perplexity: The Emerging Challenger to Google’s Search Dominance with AI

Google has long dominated the internet search space, but a recent competitor seems to have emerged, aiming to challenge Google’s supremacy using artificial intelligence.

The startup company Perplexity, backed by Jeff Bezos and venture capitalists, is betting on artificial intelligence that will revolutionize how people find information online. The founders highlight their advantage in using AI advancements to provide direct answers rather than website links, overcoming some constraints felt by major companies, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

While the startup serves only a fraction of the billions of users who rely on Google daily, it has attracted followers among technology enthusiasts looking for new services that leverage generative artificial intelligence, the program behind chatbot services like ChatGPT.

Perplexity’s website and mobile applications received 53 million visits in November, up from 2.2 million when the service became available in December 2022, according to data from a similar site. The founders mentioned that the startup spent almost nothing on traditional marketing, relying on word of mouth and promotion on platforms like “X” to attract new users.

However, competing with Google poses challenges, as Microsoft has struggled for years to establish itself online. The company, which started less than two years ago with fewer than 40 employees, is based in San Francisco and has approximately 10 million monthly users.

These figures were compelling enough to convince project partners, Bezos, and other tech executives to invest $74 million in the company, marking the largest investment for an internet search startup in recent years.