Perplexity AI rockets toward $14B valuation—because what’s a tech bubble without another nine-figure search disruptor?

Move over, Google—Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine just secured its golden ticket to Silicon Valley’s valuation circus.

The startup’s funding round whispers ’unicorn’ but screams ’2025’s most optimistic spreadsheet fantasy.’

VCs are betting big that chatbots can dethrone search giants... right after they figure out how to stop hallucinating answers.

Perplexity’s growth

Perplexity has emerged as a prominent player in the rapidly evolving AI search landscape. The company’s Core product combines natural language processing with real-time web indexing to generate concise, cited responses to user queries.

Its interface and functionality mirror some features of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, but with a sharper focus on factual retrieval and up-to-date information. The platform has gained traction among researchers, students, and professionals seeking fast, reliable alternatives to traditional search engines.

The broader AI search space has heated up significantly over the past year, attracting billions in venture capital as large language models become more capable and commercial applications more widespread.

Investors see generative AI as the next major shift in consumer tech, with search, long dominated by Google, ripe for disruption.

Apple integration

Adding to Perplexity’s momentum is speculation that Apple may integrate third-party AI search tools into its Safari browser, potentially including Perplexity.

While Apple has not confirmed the integration, such a MOVE would place Perplexity directly in front of millions of iOS and macOS users, significantly expanding its visibility and usage.

The latest fundraising talks follow March reports that Perplexity had been exploring a raise of between $500 million and $1 billion at a valuation as high as $18 billion.

The current reported valuation of $14 billion reflects both sustained investor interest and intense competition in the sector. Perplexity has grown rapidly, bolstered by a team with DEEP expertise in large language models and scalable infrastructure.

It has positioned itself as a more transparent and research-friendly alternative to AI chatbots that sometimes hallucinate facts or lack source attribution. Recently, the firm also hinted at potential crypto integrations.

The firm has not responded to requests for comment as of press time.