Perplexity browser marketing is everywhere. Glenn Greenwald promotes Comet while talking about Snowden, privacy and security.
And they tell us that revenue growth is organic. When Google was new, you didn't need a single ad.
And they tell us that revenue growth is organic. When Google was new, you didn't need a single ad.
Not that that makes this any less bad, but it seems the more fair comparison.
Also Gleen Greenwald will shill absolute any old nonsense. I used to watch his occasionally and he was doing ad read for these awful ads about vegetable drinks, like Alex Jones is infamous for. It was nauseating.
There is only so much malfeasance I can swallow, and Perplexity tick a few too many boxes.
That they did not is very telling about how the future is going to play out. This is a cash grab before the bubble pops.
1. You pay for it in cash
2. It's "free" but you pay for it with your data which is harvested and used to target ads at you
3. The weird Brave crypto model which basically does what 2 does, but you get some token for it
4. The Firefox sell your search traffic to Google model
Number 1 gets completely blown out by 2 when they compete in the market to the point it doesn't exist anymore, so that's not really viable. 3 seems scammy and nobody really wants it anyway. 4 is what I use, but let's face it, it's just 2 light with better ad blocking. It's also probably on its last legs since the courts have ruled that Google can't buy default search (which ironically will probably enhance its monopoly position).
"Under the court's ruling, Google will still be permitted to pay for search placement --- those multi-billion-dollar arrangements with Apple and Mozilla can continue."
- https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/09/google-wont-have-to-...
Long term a regime change is needed because you will lose to immoral competitors, but it’s the only fight worth fighting.
I also realize Sam Altman is a sociopath who would never do this.