Perplexity AI is a San Francisco-based AI search company founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, a former OpenAI and Google Brain researcher, along with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski. The company's core product is an AI-powered answer engine that combines large language models with real-time web search and source citation, positioning itself as an alternative to traditional search engines for research and question-answering use cases.
Perplexity has raised substantial venture funding across multiple rounds, reaching a valuation in the tens of billions of dollars during 2026 as investor interest in AI-native search intensified, with reports of major infrastructure partners exploring further investment at an even higher valuation later in the year. The company has expanded from its consumer product into browser and enterprise offerings.