Perplexity, a company known for its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered search engine, has announced the development of its own web browser called Comet. Despite the legal battle with publishers, Perplexity continues to expand its search product line, seeking to strengthen its position in the AI market and offer users new web experiences.
Image source: Copilot
A Perplexity spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company aims to “reimagine” the web browser in the same way it has reimagined search. But entering that market promises to be a tough one, given intense competition from giants like Google Chrome and a slew of alternative browsers, many of which, like The Browser Company’s Dia, offer AI-powered features comparable to Perplexity’s.
Perplexity hopes to quickly attract an audience through its search engine and aggressive expansion of new products, such as a “deep research” tool that competes with OpenAI, Google and xAI, as well as an AI assistant for Android and a search API that was released in January.
Founded in 2022, Perplexity has raised over $500 million in venture capital and is valued at $9 billion. The company says its search engine processes over 100 million queries per week, and is developing a monetization tool with an advertising platform and other commercial initiatives.
At the same time, the company’s success has come with legal challenges. Last year, The New York Times sent Perplexity a cease-and-desist notice, and recently News Corp, Dow Jones, and the New York Post filed a lawsuit accusing the company of “content kleptocracy.” But Perplexity says it respects publishers’ rights and formally offers them a revenue-sharing program.