Perplexity AI Launches as a Search Engine That "Answers Directly"

Perplexity AI, founded by Aravind Srinivas and others, launched its search service on December 7, 2022. Coming just one week after OpenAI’s ChatGPT went public, the company introduced the concept of an “answer engine” — instead of returning a list of links like traditional search, it directly answers questions in prose, complete with source citations.

Details

• Founding story: Founded in August 2022 by four people from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Meta, and Quora — Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski
• Concept: Combines the natural, conversational feel of a chatbot with explicit citations to the web sources backing each answer
• Early reaction: Reportedly processed only around 3,000 queries on its first day, but gradually drew attention as a new option for AI-powered search, aided by the timing right after the ChatGPT frenzy
• Availability: Initially offered only as a web browser version, with a Chrome extension and mobile app added the following year

What happened next

By February 2023, monthly unique visitors had grown to around 2 million, and in April of that year the company announced a Series A round alongside the launch of its iOS app. The core concept established here — direct answers backed by citations — became the foundation for all its later flagship features, including Pro, Pages, and Spaces.