Perplexity Makes $200 AI Browser Free to Fight Internet ‘Slop’ - 1

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Perplexity Makes $200 AI Browser Free to Fight Internet ‘Slop’

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Perplexity AI announced on Thursday that its AI-powered web browser Comet is now available globally and free to all users, after initially charging $200 a month for access.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Perplexity AI makes its $200 Comet browser free worldwide.
  • Comet acts as an AI assistant that searches, summarizes, and organizes web content.
  • The free version has usage limits, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas confirmed.

The company said the move is aimed at countering what it calls the rise of “slop,” which is low-quality content created by both humans and AI flooding the internet, as reported by Business Insider . “We want to build a better internet, and that needs to be accessible to everybody,” CEO Aravind Srinivas told Business Insider at the launch event in San Francisco.

The release puts Perplexity into direct competition with Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic, all of which are pushing their own AI browser tools, as noted by CNBC.

Google recently added Gemini to Chrome , while OpenAI launched Operator earlier this year. Perplexity previously made headlines when it submitted an unsolicited $34.5 billion bid for Chrome, though the U.S. government allowed Google to keep its browser in a monopoly case.

Perplexity also announced Comet Plus, a $5 monthly subscription that grants access to premium content from publishers such as CNN, The Washington Post, Fortune, Los Angeles Times, and Condé Nast. The company says publishers will receive 80% of subscription revenue, as reported by Business Insider.

“I think slop is fundamentally going to be easier to create now, and it’s going to be hard to distinguish if something is AI or human on the internet,” Srinivas said, as reported by Business Insider.

OpenAI Reaches $500 Billion Valuation - 2

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OpenAI Reaches $500 Billion Valuation

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

OpenAI has completed a share-sale deal involving former and current employees, reaching a reported valuation of $500 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Anonymous sources said OpenAI reached a $500 billion valuation.
  • The company’s employees and former employees sold $6.6 billion worth of shares to a group of investors.
  • OpenAI is now “the world’s most valuable privately held company.”

According to Reuters , anonymous sources confirmed OpenAI authorized employees to sell up to $10 billion worth of shares to a group of investors, including SoftBank, Thrive Capital, Abu Dhabi’s MGX, T. Rowe Price, and Dragoneer Investment Group..

Employees ultimately sold $6.6 billion worth of shares, below the authorized amount—a move viewed as a positive sign of confidence in the company’s long-term future.

OpenAI has reportedly now reached a $500 billion valuation, a sharp increase as the company was valued at $300 billion in August. The startup has been growing at a fast pace in the past few years, especially considering that it was valued at $157 billion by this time last year , meaning it has more than doubled its value within less than 1 year.

According to CNBC , only former and current employees who had held OpenAI shares for more than two years were eligible to participate in the sale, which was first announced in early September.

This deal awards OpenAI the status of “the world’s most valuable privately held company.” The AI startup has surpassed SpaceX, which is currently valued at approximately $456 billion.

The transaction is also seen as a strategy to reward and retain employees, while postponing or potentially avoiding an initial public offering (IPO).

In the first half of 2025, OpenAI reportedly generated about $4.3 billion in revenue, already exceeding its full-year 2024 revenue by 16%, according to The Information.

Other AI companies have also been closing new deals to grow and expand in the fertile AI market. A few weeks ago, Anthropic raised $13 billion in funding , reaching a valuation of $185 billion.