India's AI Startup Perplexity Set to Challenge Google with New Comet Browser

In the world of internet search, Google has long held the top position since the arrival of Chrome. Prior to this, browsers like Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox were popular among users. However, this monopoly could soon be disrupted as an Indian entrepreneur prepares to introduce a strong alternative.

A generative AI startup named Perplexity has emerged as a powerful contender, having secured $500 million (₹4,400 crore) in funding. Following this funding round, the company’s valuation is expected to reach $14 billion (₹1.2 lakh crore), positioning Perplexity as one of the most promising AI ventures aiming to revolutionize how we search online.

The company is planning to introduce its own browser, Comet, which aims to rival Google Chrome directly. The project has received substantial backing from leading industry figures, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2, Andrej Karpathy (OpenAI Co-founder), Jeff Dean (Google AI executive), and Yann LeCun (AI pioneer at Meta).

In addition to providing an alternative to Google, Perplexity is also actively involved in addressing antitrust concerns in the U.S. market.

Perplexity’s founder, Arvind Srinivas, earlier this year, stated that the newly raised capital would go toward building the Comet browser. He urged users to join their mission to redefine the future of web browsing. Powered by artificial intelligence, Comet will assist users in conducting in-depth research and performing automated tasks efficiently.

Comet vs Google Chrome: A New Era in Browsing

Comet’s AI-First Features

The browser will be integrated with advanced AI features and automation tools. According to Arvind Srinivas, “browsers can automatically respond to posts,” offering a major shift in user experience. Perplexity’s current AI platform already utilizes leading language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and China’s DeepSeek, offering fast and precise responses.

About Perplexity company

The company behind the "answer engine" Perplexity AI is Perplexity AI, Inc., a privately held American technology company. Here's a summary of what's known about them as of May 16, 2025:

Key Facts about Perplexity company:

• Founded: August 2022.

• Founders: The company was founded by four engineers with backgrounds in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning:

  • Aravind Srinivas (CEO): Former AI researcher at OpenAI and Google's DeepMind and Google Brain. He is of Indian origin and completed his engineering at IIT Madras and a PhD in Computer Science from UC Berkeley.

  • Denis Yarats (CTO): Former AI research scientist at Meta (Facebook). He connected with Srinivas due to overlapping research papers from UC Berkeley and NYU.

  • Johnny Ho (CSO): Previously an engineer at Quora and a quantitative trader.

  • Andy Konwinski (President and Board Member): Co-founder of Databricks. He is also an alumnus of UC Berkeley.

• Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States.

• Number of Employees: Approximately 100.

• Valuation: Perplexity AI has experienced rapid valuation growth.

  • By April 2024, it was valued at over $1 billion (unicorn status).

  • By December 2024, its valuation had reached $9 billion.

  • As of May 2025, reports indicate that Perplexity AI is in the process of finalizing a $500 million funding round led by Accel, which would increase its valuation to $14 billion.

• Funding: Perplexity AI has raised a total of $915 million over 7 funding rounds. Notable investors include:

  • Jeff Bezos (through Bezos Expeditions)

  • NVIDIA

  • Daniel Gross

  • Stan Druckenmiller

  • Tobi Lütke (Shopify CEO)

  • Nat Friedman (former GitHub CEO)

  • SoftBank Vision Fund

  • IVP (Institutional Venture Partners)

  • NEA (New Enterprise Associates)

  • Databricks Ventures

  • Bessemer Venture Partners

  • Wayra (Telefónica's open innovation hub)

• Technology: Perplexity AI utilizes large language models (LLMs) to process queries and synthesize responses based on real-time web search results obtained via Microsoft Bing. It also develops its own LLMs based on open-source models.

• Mission: The company's mission is to "serve the world's curiosity" by providing accessible, conversational, and verifiable answers.

• Key Differentiators:

  • Conversational Search: Enables follow-up questions and maintains context.

  • Real-time Search: Accesses up-to-date information from the web.

  • Cited Sources: Provides numbered footnotes with links to the original sources for transparency.

  • Direct Answers: Aims to provide comprehensive answers rather than just lists of links.

• Products and Services: Besides its core "answer engine," Perplexity AI offers:

  • Perplexity Pro: A paid subscription with more advanced features, higher search limits, access to different AI models, code interpretation, data analysis, content generation, and API access.

  • Enterprise Pro: A version designed for companies with multi-user licensing and enhanced security features.

  • Perplexity Assistant: An AI-powered tool within the mobile app for cross-app tasks and contextual awareness using the phone's camera.

  • Shopping Hub: A feature for product search and comparison with cited sources, including in-app purchasing capabilities through a partnership with PayPal.

  • Finance Features: Tools for looking up stock prices, company earnings, and basic financial analysis.

  • Internal Knowledge Search: For Pro and Enterprise Pro users to search across web content and uploaded internal documents.

  • Spaces: Personalized research areas for organizing information and collaboration.

  • Pages: Tool for generating customizable web pages and research presentations.

• Partnerships: Perplexity has established partnerships with companies like PayPal and publishers for revenue sharing. It also utilizes Microsoft Azure infrastructure and Microsoft Bing for web searches.