Despite these controversies, Perplexity is reportedly raising $500 million in a deal that would value it at $9 billion. The company's co-founder and CEO, Aravind Srinivas, remains optimistic, stating that Perplexity is now serving around 20 million queries a day, a significant increase from 2.5 million a day at the start of the year. However, the company's relationship with publishers remains complex, with some accusing it of content plagiarism and others expressing concerns about the lack of transparency in its publisher program's terms.
Key takeaways:
- Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine, is expanding its publisher program with new partners including the LA Times, Adweek, Mexico News Daily, and several others. The publishers will share in ad revenue and receive performance metrics.
- Notably absent from the new cohort are The New York Times, Dow Jones, and The NY Post, all of which have legal disputes with Perplexity over content access and usage.
- Perplexity's method of summarizing and presenting content, as well as its data-gathering tactics, have been points of contention with publishers. The company has been accused of plagiarizing paywalled content and inaccurately paraphrasing stories.
- Despite these issues, Perplexity is reportedly raising $500 million in a deal that would value it at $9 billion. The company's co-founder and CEO, Aravind Srinivas, remains optimistic, stating that Perplexity is now serving around 20 million queries a day.