ALL INPredictions
Last updated Nov 29, 2025
Prediction
Sacks
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Sacks @ 01:33:05Wrong
aitechmarkets
Perplexity.ai, as an independent search/answer engine, will struggle severely or fail competitively now that Google has copied its core product approach; its most viable positive outcome is to be acquired rather than to succeed at large scale as a standalone competitor.
They got caught completely flat footed. And they’ve now, I guess, caught up by copying perplexity and sucks for perplexity. I think they’re kind of screwed now unless they get over an acquisition deal.View on YouTube
Explanation

Evidence since May 2024 shows Perplexity has grown rapidly and remained independent despite Google rolling out AI Overviews, rather than being “kind of screwed” or pushed into an acquisition.

Key points:

  • Strong funding and soaring valuation: Perplexity was valued just over $1 billion in April 2024, but after Google’s AI Overviews launch it went on to raise a $500 million round in June 2025 at a $14 billion valuation, and by September 2025 its valuation was reported around $20 billion—hardly the profile of a company failing competitively. (en.wikipedia.org)

  • Rapid user and usage growth: Analyses report Perplexity handling around 30 million queries per day (780 million in May 2025) with more than 20% month‑over‑month growth and over 22 million active users, giving it about a 6.2% share of the AI search segment. (en.wikipedia.org) This is growth after Google’s AI Overviews became a mainstream feature in search.

  • Still independent; acquisition only speculative: Multiple reports in mid‑2025 describe Apple internally discussing a potential bid for Perplexity, but both Apple and Perplexity declined to confirm any deal, and coverage characterizes talks as early and uncertain. Perplexity’s CEO has explicitly said he does not want to sell to Big Tech and wants the company to remain independent. (macrumors.com) As of late 2025, there is no credible report that Perplexity has been acquired.

  • Behavior of a confident competitor, not a distressed target: Perplexity has launched major new products (e.g., the Comet AI browser) and even made bold proposals to merge with TikTok U.S. and to buy Google Chrome, positioning itself as an acquirer or strategic partner rather than a company forced into a sale. (en.wikipedia.org)

  • Google competition did not wipe it out: Google’s AI Overviews now reaches over 1.5 billion monthly users worldwide, embedding generative AI deeply into Google Search. (mlq.ai) Despite this, Perplexity has continued to raise large rounds, sign major partnerships, and grow usage, contradicting the idea that Google copying its approach would effectively kill its prospects.

Given that (1) Perplexity has not been acquired, (2) it is expanding and highly valued, and (3) it remains a notable independent competitor in AI search, the prediction that it was “screwed” and that acquisition was its main viable outcome has not come true as of November 30, 2025.