Perplexity CEO, Aravind Srinivas, claims that the integration of AI coding tools into their startup's work processes has slashed engineering task duration from a staggering four full days to just one hour.
In a significant move, Perplexity, the tech company valued at $14 billion, has mandated the use of AI coding tools for its engineers. With the adoption of tools like Cursor and GitHub Copilot, the company's CEO, Aravind Srinivas, has reported a dramatic reduction in prototyping and experimentation time—from several days down to just about one hour[1][2].
This productivity gain extends beyond complex algorithm work. Non-technical team members can now quickly modify interfaces by providing simple feedback and screenshots, which AI coding tools then translate directly into code changes. This has accelerated bug fixing and sped up shipping to production, described as “crazy” fast by Srinivas[1][2].
However, Srinivas also acknowledged that these AI tools are not flawless, sometimes introducing new bugs that require human intervention to fix. This can occasionally negate the time savings if the bugs are difficult to resolve. Additionally, industry leaders have pointed out that while AI tools automate coding tasks, humans are left with the less enjoyable responsibilities such as code review and deployment[1].
In other news, Perplexity has introduced Comet, an AI-powered web browser that competes with Google Search and Google Chrome. The company's AI search engine is the default tool in Comet, processing from 3,000 to 30 million queries a day in a short period. In May, the search engine reported a 20% month-over-month growth with 780 million queries[1][2].
If a recent funding round had been successful, Perplexity would have been valued at $14 billion. The company was in late-stage talks for a $500 million funding round in May[1]. At Bloomberg's Tech Summit in May, Srinivas predicted that within a year, Perplexity would be handling "a billion queries a week."
Sources: [1] TechCrunch. (2022). Perplexity mandates the use of AI coding tools for its engineers. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/05/perplexity-mandates-the-use-of-ai-coding-tools-for-its-engineers/
[2] VentureBeat. (2022). Perplexity's CEO Aravind Srinivas on the company's AI-powered browser, Comet. [online] Available at: https://venturebeat.com/2022/05/18/perplexitys-ceo-aravind-srinivas-on-the-companys-ai-powered-browser-comet/
- The success of Perplexity, a technology company valued at $14 billion, is attributed not only to its AI-powered tools but also to its new AI-powered web browser, Comet, which is challenging Google Search and Google Chrome.
- Comet, the AI-powered browser by Perplexity, processes between 3,000 to 30 million queries daily and has shown a 20% month-over-month growth in May, reporting 780 million queries.
- Despite the time savings achieved by using AI coding tools, such as Cursor and GitHub Copilot, there are occasional instances where new bugs are introduced—tasks that still require human intervention to fix.
- Perplexity, under the leadership of its CEO, Aravind Srinivas, has noticed a significant reduction in prototyping and experimentation time thanks to the adoption of AI coding tools, speeding up ships to production, even described as “crazy” fast. However, the company's future growth is dependent on the success of its funding rounds, with recent talks for a $500 million funding round in May still ongoing.
