Overview
- An informal, anonymous poll run by journalist Eric Newcomer at the Cerebral Valley Summit ranked Perplexity first and OpenAI second among billion‑dollar AI startups most likely to fail.
- Attendees voiced caution about overheated valuations, while Anthropic was the top pick when asked which private AI company they would invest in.
- Coverage flagged Perplexity’s rapid fundraising and valuations reported between roughly $14 billion and $50 billion, along with reliance on third‑party models rather than owning foundational systems.
- Perplexity’s growth tactics—free bundles and platform deals such as Airtel’s one‑year Perplexity Pro offer to 360 million customers, SK Telecom partnerships, Snapchat integration planned for 2026, and the Comet browser—prompted questions about paid conversion.
- Perplexity’s spokesperson dismissed the survey as a “judgmental valley conference,” while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly rejected claims that his company is overvalued.