Perplexity CEO: AI Coding Tools Transformed the Way We Work
AI search engine startup Perplexity internally mandated the use of AI coding tools — and says that its engineers have been noticeably more productive.
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas told Y Combinator that the startup "made it compulsory" for its engineers to use AI coding tools such as Cursor or GitHub Copilot. These tools can generate blocks of code and debug programs.
Related: AI Is Already Writing About 30% of Code at Microsoft and Google. Here's What It Means for Software Engineers.
Srinivas said that Perplexity engineers have seen measurable outcomes so far: Using the tools cuts down on "experimentation time" for new tasks from "three, four days to literally one hour," he said.
"That level of change is incredible," Srinivas stated. "The speed at which we can fix bugs and ship to production is crazy."
Perplexity's AI search engine reported a 20% month-over-month growth in May with 780 million queries.
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Related: Google's CEO Is Spending His Free Time 'Vibe Coding' a Webpage with AI: 'I've Just Been Messing Around'
At Bloomberg's Tech Summit in May, Srinivas predicted that within a year, Perplexity would be handling "a billion queries a week." He pointed out that when the AI search engine first got started in 2022, it processed 3,000 queries a day, advancing to 30 million queries a day by May.
"It's been phenomenal growth," Srinivas stated at the event.
Still, there "are issues," Srinivas said about using AI coding assistants, noting that the tools can introduce new bugs that software engineers aren't familiar with and don't know how to fix.
Last week, Perplexity introduced Comet, an AI-powered web browser that takes on Google Search and Google Chrome. Comet uses Perplexity's AI search engine as its default tool, putting the company's core product front and center for users.
In May, Perplexity was reportedly in late-stage talks for a $500 million funding round that would value the company at $14 billion.
Related: 'Building It Ourselves': Morgan Stanley Created an AI Tool to Fix the Most Annoying Part of Coding. Here's How It Works.
Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pegasystems, AWS Partner for 5-Year GenAI-Powered Legacy Modernization Initiative
Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is one of the best US stocks to buy according to Billionaires. On July 14, Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ:PEGA) announced a 5-year collaboration agreement/SCA with Amazon Web Services/AWS. This partnership helps clients use Pega products with advanced AWS GenAI services, specifically focusing on accelerating legacy modernization projects and enabling agentic automation across enterprise workflows. The collaboration is designed to free businesses from time-consuming and resource-draining technical debt. A recent survey conducted by Pega and research firm Savanta highlighted the pervasive issue of technical debt, revealing that ~68% of IT decision-makers in global enterprises believe outdated legacy systems and applications are hindering their ability to adopt innovative technologies like AI and automation. Photo by Bryan Angelo on Unsplashzon Under the agreement, Pega and AWS will combine AWS Transform, which uses agentic AI workflows to automate the entire modernization lifecycle, with Pega Blueprint. Pega Blueprint is a cloud-based application that uses AI agents to accelerate the design and development of Pega-powered workflow applications. Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) engages in the retail sale of consumer products, advertising, and subscription services through online and physical stores in North America and internationally. Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ:PEGA) develops, markets, licenses, hosts, and supports enterprise software. While we acknowledge the potential of AMZN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Gizmodo
28 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
Crypto's Wild West Era Is Over
For more than a decade, cryptocurrency lived in a regulatory gray zone. Loved by libertarians, feared by bankers, and mocked by lawmakers, it was treated like a side project of the internet, too weird to regulate and too volatile to embrace. That era just ended. The U.S. House of Representatives has officially passed the GENIUS Act, a landmark bill that sets federal rules for stablecoins—the digital currencies pegged to the U.S. dollar. The bill is expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump, making it the first major piece of crypto legislation in American history. It is the moment crypto has been waiting for: real rules, real recognition, and real legitimacy. Stablecoins like USDC and USDT are already used to move billions of dollars every day. They're the quiet workhorses of crypto—used to send money across borders, trade on crypto exchanges, and settle payments instantly without touching a traditional bank. But until now, there were no federal laws clearly defining how they should work, what they must be backed by, or who should regulate them. That uncertainty scared away banks, blocked innovation, and left consumers vulnerable. The GENIUS Act changes that. It requires stablecoin issuers to hold one-to-one reserves in cash or U.S. Treasury bills. It enforces monthly disclosures. It gives consumers priority if an issuer goes bankrupt. It creates a path for both federal and state-level oversight. In short, it gives crypto the kind of legal foundation that big institutions—and average Americans—can finally trust. This law isn't just about taming crypto. It's about launching the next era of American finance. Stablecoins are already powering instant global payments. In the future, they could be integrated into everyday apps—used to pay rent, send money to family, or settle business transactions in seconds. With the GENIUS Act, the U.S. is staking a claim to lead that future. At a time when countries like China are racing to launch their own state-backed digital currencies, this law sends a clear message: America won't be left behind. It also opens the door for crypto to leave the speculative Wild West and move into the financial mainstream. Companies like PayPal, Visa, and BlackRock are already building on blockchain rails. Now, they can do it with a legal framework behind them. For years, crypto has been dismissed as a sideshow. Critics called it a scam, a bubble, or a toy for rich tech bros. There was some truth to the chaos. But behind the scenes, a new financial infrastructure was being built: faster, programmable, and radically transparent. With this new law, that infrastructure gets its first real seal of approval from Washington. It's not just about price anymore. It's about permanence. The GENIUS Act is just the beginning. More legislation is coming, covering digital asset securities, smart contract standards, and decentralized platforms. But this bill proves Congress can act. That alone is a major shift in the political landscape. In the next few years, you may not even realize you're using crypto. It will just be how money moves: instantly, digitally, securely. And legally. Crypto is no longer knocking on the door. It's walking in.
TechCrunch
28 minutes ago
- TechCrunch
Perplexity sees India as a shortcut in its race against OpenAI
While OpenAI has cemented its lead in the U.S., Perplexity is taking a different route — quietly expanding into India to compete in the next phase of AI adoption. The search-focused AI startup is rapidly adding millions of users in the world's second-largest internet and smartphone market, positioning itself for mass-market scale. This week, Perplexity partnered with Bharti Airtel, India's second-largest telecom operator after Reliance Jio, to offer a free 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription — normally worth $200 — to all 360 million Airtel subscribers. Airtel confirmed to TechCrunch that the deal is exclusive, meaning no other telco in the country can offer Perplexity's services, including free access, to their subscribers. The Airtel partnership is one of Perplexity's most significant moves yet in a global expansion strategy that includes partnerships with more than 25 telcos globally, including those recently announced with SoftBank in Japan and SK Telecom in South Korea. India, the world's most populous country, brings a mass market that the San Francisco-based startup will not find in other geographies. Perplexity is already gaining major traction in the country. In Q2, Perplexity's downloads in India surged 600% year-over-year to 2.8 million, according to Sensor Tower data shared exclusively with TechCrunch. In comparison, OpenAI's ChatGPT saw a 587% increase, reaching 46.7 million downloads in the same period. The growth trend extended to active users as well: Perplexity's monthly active users (MAUs) in India increased by 640% year-over-year in Q2, while ChatGPT's MAUs grew by 350%. India was also the largest market by MAUs for Perplexity in the last quarter, per Sensor Tower. However, ChatGPT maintained a significant lead in absolute numbers, with 19.8 million MAUs versus 3.7 million for Perplexity. Image Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch Building on earlier partnerships, Perplexity has been working to leverage India's user base to leapfrog Western markets, where OpenAI dominates paid subscribers. Earlier this year, Perplexity partnered with the Indian fintech giant Paytm to offer access to its AI-powered search through the Paytm app, which has over 500 million downloads and is among the top-three apps on the Indian government's Unified Payment Interface network, processing over 1.2 billion transactions worth over ₹1,34,000 crores (approximately $15.6 billion). Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas has also taken direct steps to expand in India. In January, he announced plans to hire an Indian executive in the country, which he later put on hold after receiving an 'overwhelming' response. He further announced a $1 million investment and a commitment of five hours a week of his time to a group building AI in India. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW Image Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch The startup has internally discussed offering its AI search engine to Indian students to grow its reach, sources told TechCrunch. One reason Perplexity views India as a key growth market is the relatively limited number of local AI startups, particularly in the AI search space. At the same time, the country has a large and active base of tech-savvy users — a fact that has even prompted Perplexity's archrival, Google, to launch AI-powered search features like AI Mode and AI Overviews in India ahead of many other markets. But monetizing that large user base remains a challenge. Perplexity still lags far behind ChatGPT globally in terms of revenue, even as both offer the same $20-per-month starting price. In Q2, ChatGPT's in-app purchase revenue worldwide surged 731% year-over-year to $773 million, while Perplexity saw a 300% increase, reaching $8 million, per Sensor Tower. Image Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch The revenue challenge is particularly acute in India, where consumers are notoriously price-sensitive. Still, there are promising signs. However, ChatGPT saw an 800% year-over-year increase in in-app purchases to $9 million in the country in Q2. Perplexity has not generated any notable in-app revenue from India, but the startup has room to expand its paid subscriber base through India. Deals like the one with Airtel could help Perplexity effectively increase its subscriber base, at least in the short term. Strategic partnerships in markets like India could help Perplexity catch the eye of investors who value user growth and geographic diversification. But to turn that attention into long-term backing, the startup will need to show that it can convert its expanding user base into revenue. Srinivas did not respond to requests for comment.
