Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of Perplexity, recently joined TBPN podcast host Ahmad Mohiuddin to share that incredible news and more. He showed off the company’s big plans to create their own web browser. This new browser aims to track user behavior both within and outside of Perplexity’s app, allowing the company to deliver what it describes as ‘hyper personalized’ advertisements. Srinivas cited a Bloomberg piece from the beginning of this month suggesting just those kinds of partnerships. He gave no assurance of any concrete partnerships.
Srinivas emphasized that one of the primary motivations for creating this browser is to gather extensive data on user interactions beyond the app itself. He stated, “That’s kind of one of the other reasons we wanted to build a browser, is we want to get data even outside the app to better understand you.” However, by monitoring users’ actions across the entire web, Perplexity aims to build a much richer profile of every user.
The CEO expressed confidence that users would appreciate this level of tracking, suggesting that more relevant ads would enhance their online experience. “What are the things you’re buying, which hotels are you going to, which restaurants are you going to, what are you spending time browsing, tells us so much more about you,” he explained. This method is emblematic of a growing movement in tech. This is why companies are hell bent on personalizing ads down to the individual using rich user data.
One important factor that Srinivas touched on during the podcast was the increasing distrust consumers have towards large technology companies. This trend is most pronounced in the U.S. and in Europe. As skepticism mounts over the political left and right alike, he recognized that establishing a baseline of trust with users will determine the fate of Perplexity.
Perplexity hopes to chart a course through this challenging environment by making users confident in how their data is collected and used. The aim is to use this data in an aggregated manner to get the best of both worlds public health benefits without privacy/security worries. “We plan to use all the context to build a better user profile and, maybe you know, through our discover feed we could show some ads there,” Srinivas noted.
Experience the TBPN podcast on our new YouTube channel! It provides a deep tour of Perplexity’s gamechanging approach and its plans to revolutionize online search and advertising that you won’t want to miss. The new national company is currently working on several other nationwide initiatives. Next, it will be thrilling to observe how users react to these data-driven pursuits and whether faith can be repaired in an ever-more-awry market.
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