Perplexity’s CEO Aravind Srinivas revealed that the primary goal behind developing the company’s new browser, Comet, is tracking user activity across the internet to build highly detailed profiles and sell ultra-targeted ads.
Speaking recently on the TBPN podcast, Srinivas explained that a significant motivation for creating a dedicated browser is to gather extensive user data beyond Perplexity’s own application. He noted that user interactions within the app often focus heavily on work-related queries, limiting the company’s ability to build comprehensive profiles. By contrast, capturing data on online shopping habits, hotel and restaurant choices, and browsing activities provides richer, more personal insights into users’ preferences and behaviors.
Srinivas believes users will accept such thorough tracking because the resulting advertisements will be more personally relevant. “We plan to use all the context to build a better user profile,” Srinivas noted, suggesting this additional context could lead to tailored advertising placements through Perplexity’s browsing platform.
Despite experiencing some setbacks in its development, Comet is progressing toward a launch date scheduled for May.
This approach closely mirrors Google’s longstanding strategy of using its browser and mobile operating system to accumulate user data. Indeed, Srinivas openly acknowledged this similarity during his remarks. Perplexity is making further moves in the mobile ecosystem, announcing a strategic partnership with Motorola that will see its app pre-installed on Motorola’s Razr series smartphones. Users can activate Perplexity via Moto AI by simply typing “Ask Perplexity.”
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that Perplexity is also in discussions to integrate its application with Samsung devices. While Srinivas did not explicitly confirm these negotiations, he referenced the recent coverage signaling interest in broader OEM partnerships.
Perplexity’s method is part of an industry trend, echoed by both Meta and Apple, with companies collecting user data to deliver more personalized advertising—even despite Apple’s positioned stance on privacy.
Yet this aggressive data collection strategy has stoked public concern in both the U.S. and Europe, fueling deep skepticism towards big tech companies and their handling of user privacy. Ironically, Srinivas’s transparent description of Perplexity’s ad-driven ambitions coincides with Google presently defending against U.S. Department of Justice accusations of monopolistic behavior around search and advertising. This ongoing antitrust case might ultimately force Google to sell its Chrome browser division—a purchase both Perplexity and OpenAI have expressed interest in if the opportunity arises.
