Perplexity’s CEO punts on defining ‘plagiarism’
Perplexity CEO addresses plagiarism concerns at TechCrunch's 2024 event.

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Perplexity's CEO, Aravind Srinivas, discussed the contentious issue of plagiarism, highlighting that Perplexity always credits its sources, though not without occasional inaccuracies. Despite facing a lawsuit from Dow Jones, Srinivas insists that Perplexity's approach mirrors traditional journalism and aims to democratize information distribution.
Srinivas revealed that, contrary to Dow Jones' allegations, Perplexity is not primarily used for summarizing paywalled content but rather for financial research. The company is actively engaged in revenue-sharing partnerships with media giants like Time, Fortune, and Der Spiegel, and Srinivas emphasized efforts to collaborate with rather than compete against traditional publishers.
Looking forward, Perplexity aims to expand its product offerings, including tools for online shopping and sports tracking, and is reportedly discussing a potential $500 million fundraising round at an $8 billion valuation. The overarching vision, according to Srinivas, is for facts to be universally available, contesting the notion of corporate ownership over publicly reported information.