This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Perplexity AI is stepping into the spotlight with a $42.5 million revenue-sharing initiative designed to reshape how publishers are compensated in the age of AI-driven search. CEO Aravind Srinivas said the program could offer a new standard by rewarding publishers whenever their content drives traffic, appears in search queries, or assists Comet’s AI-powered tasks. Under the plan, publishers could receive 80% of subscription revenue from Comet Plus a $5 monthly premium tier while Perplexity retains the balance. The move positions the company differently from larger rivals, as it pursues a model based on shared value rather than bespoke licensing deals.
The timing is critical. Media companies have intensified pressure on AI firms, arguing that tools like Perplexity’s Comet and other AI assistants reduce traffic to their own platforms. Perplexity faces active litigation, including copyright claims from Dow Jones and the New York Post, alongside disputes with Forbes and Conde Nast over unauthorized use of content in summaries. The company also came under scrutiny from Cloudflare, which alleged it bypassed protective blocks to extract data. Perplexity, however, maintains its AI assistant only accesses websites on a user’s request and does not engage in large-scale crawling to train its models.
Backed by a fresh $100 million funding round at an $18 billion valuation, Perplexity continues to expand its ambitions. The company recently submitted a $34.5 billion offer to acquire Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Chrome browser, following reports that antitrust pressures could force Google to divest the asset. While the bid’s outcome remains uncertain, Srinivas noted that Perplexity has well-funded people supporting its plans. As OpenAI and Google pursue individual licensing agreements with publishers, Perplexity’s approach could mark an early turning point for how AI platforms, media companies, and users share in the economics of the next generation of search.