At the recent Bloomberg Technology Summit, Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, revealed that in May 2023, Perplexity AI's search engine reached an astonishing 780 million queries, with the platform’s monthly user growth rate exceeding 20%. Srinivas stated, "If we can maintain this growth rate, we expect weekly query volume to reach 1 billion within a year. This is truly impressive because on the first day of 2022, our query volume was only 3,000, and now we're processing 30 million daily—this growth is extraordinary."
Srinivas also discussed their new browser, "Comet," which he believes will enable Perplexity to continue its rapid growth. He noted that if users could search and browse within this browser, it would achieve "infinite retention." Activities such as searching, browsing the homepage, and interacting on other pages will generate more queries, attracting not only new users tired of traditional browsers like Chrome but also increasing usage frequency among existing users.
He further explained that Perplexity developed Comet because they wanted to transform AI’s role from merely providing answers to truly completing tasks for users. Srinivas stated that obtaining AI-driven answers is equivalent to performing four to five searches, while an AI action can complete an entire browsing process through one prompt. "We need to develop a browser that seamlessly integrates client-side and server-side computing, requiring us to rethink the entire design of a browser."
Srinivas emphasized that Perplexity does not view Comet as "another browser" but rather as a "cognitive operating system." He said, "It will accompany you at all times, whether at work or in life, either as a system assisting you or handling your browsing sessions. I believe this will fundamentally change how we perceive the internet. Earlier, we were browsing the internet, but now people's lives are increasingly connected to the internet. If we want to build a proactive and personalized AI, it needs to be closely integrated into users' lives. That's why we need to rethink browsers."
Although Perplexity has yet to disclose a specific release date for Comet, Srinivas previously mentioned on social platform X that the browser would be launched within the next few weeks.
Key Takeaways:
🌟 In May 2023, Perplexity’s query volume reached 780 million, with a monthly user growth rate exceeding 20%.
🚀 The new browser "Comet" will change AI's role by focusing on completing tasks for users instead of just providing answers.
🖥️ Comet is considered a "cognitive operating system," reshaping how people use the internet and enhancing personalization experiences.
