Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas confirmed in a CNBC interview on June 9 that the company plans to go public around 2028, and that this timeline will not be adjusted due to the IPO actions of OpenAI or Anthropic. Srinivas said Perplexity’s strategic goal is to build first into a “healthy, high-growth” business.
Confirmation Statement from Srinivas’ CNBC Interview
IPO timeline: “It has nothing to do with whether these two companies go public. Perplexity has always planned to IPO around 2028, and nothing has changed.”
Market testing definition: Srinivas defined the next six months as a “market proving period” for AI large-cap listings. The public market will reveal whether a valuation in the order of one hundred billion dollars is supported.
Listing target framework: Build first a business model that is “healthy and high-growth,” and do not let others’ listing schedules affect its own decision-making.
Perplexity’s Confirmed Financial Data
ARR (annual recurring revenue): Surpassed $45 million in March 2026; year-end 2026 target is $65.6 million (as publicly set by the company).
Funding record: Most recent round: raised $200 million in September 2025, with post-round valuation of about $20 billion; total cumulative funding of about $900 million.
Peer comparison data (Srinivas’ statements in the CNBC interview): OpenAI raised $122 billion in one round; Anthropic raised $30 billion in one round. Both valuations have already approached the trillion-dollar range, and both have submitted confidential IPO filings to the SEC.
Capital efficiency (difference-indicator cited in Srinivas’ interview): About $900 million in cumulative funding corresponds to $45 million in ARR, meaning each $1 of funding corresponds to approximately $0.5 in annualized revenue.
Confirmed Product Data for Perplexity Computer
Perplexity Computer is an autonomous agent platform that integrates multiple AI models into a unified research workflow. Users do not need to switch between different AI tools, and Perplexity coordinates the models in the backend to complete tasks. According to company disclosures, within 30 days after the launch of Perplexity Computer, the ARR growth rate accelerated by about 50%.
Common Questions
What are Perplexity’s current valuation and funding status?
According to company disclosures, Perplexity’s most recent funding round was completed in September 2025, raising $200 million, with a post-round valuation of about $20 billion and cumulative funding of about $900 million. ARR surpassed $45 million in March 2026, and the company set an ARR target of $65.6 million by the end of 2026.
What quantified impact did Perplexity Computer bring?
According to Perplexity’s disclosures, within 30 days after Perplexity Computer went live, the ARR growth rate accelerated by about 50%. Perplexity Computer is an autonomous agent platform that integrates multiple AI models into a unified research workflow.
Why did Srinivas confirm an IPO in 2028 instead of earlier?
Based on Srinivas’ statements in the CNBC interview, Perplexity’s 2028 IPO timeline was already set before the IPO actions of OpenAI and Anthropic. The strategic goal is to first build a “healthy, high-growth” business model, rather than being driven by investors’ exit timelines.
