Perplexity, the AI startup focused on search, has decided to move away from advertising in its products, opting for a subscription and enterprise sales-based monetization model. This was confirmed by its executives in a recent roundtable with journalists, where they emphasized that they currently do not consider advertising agreements, marking a clear distinction from OpenAI, which heavily invests in ads, and Anthropic, which has also rejected this path. Perplexity's strategy is increasingly oriented towards the corporate market, with plans to expand its small enterprise sales team, currently consisting of only five people. The company aims to attract high-profile clients, such as financial professionals, doctors, and executives, strengthening its position against competitors like Glean, which specializes in internal AI searches for businesses. This shift in focus occurs amid skepticism from some Silicon Valley investors, who in an informal survey during an AI conference last year identified Perplexity as the company they would bet on the most, amidst debates about a potential bubble in the sector and successive funding rounds. According to executives, Perplexity's priority will now be growth and revenue retention, rather than metrics like the volume of answered questions. Despite this shift, the company will maintain a free version of its product, albeit with certain usage limitations. Regarding financial results, Perplexity did not disclose exact figures but indicated that its revenue grew 4.7 times last year. According to Business Insider, the startup surpassed $150 million in annual recurring revenue by mid-2024 and reached $200 million in October, as reported by Alex Heath. After a period of low profile, Perplexity's leaders explained that they have been focused on product development, avoiding media distractions. It is worth noting that in 2024, the company had announced trials with ads, but the project was halted following the departure of Taz Patel, its main advertising executive. An executive noted that user distrust towards ads in AI-generated responses was a key factor in this decision. Additionally, Perplexity recently launched an enterprise solution that integrates internal and external data to generate research reports and other advanced functionalities. (Source: businessinsider.es)