Perplexity is an AI‑powered conversational search engine launched in 2022, delivering synthesized, context-aware answers with transparent citations—enabling users to verify responses easily [wikipedia.org]. As of mid‑2025, it achieved a valuation of $18 billion after a $500 million funding round, showcasing strong investor confidence and rapid growth [wikipedia.org]. The company has expanded beyond search—rolling out Comet, an AI‑driven browser for task automation and navigation, and forging content-sharing partnerships with publishers like Le Monde to enhance answer quality while sharing ad revenue [reuters.com][reuters.com]. Additionally, Perplexity is driving global localization efforts—partnering with Nvidia and regional AI firms to develop reasoning-capable models for languages like German, Spanish, and French, reinforcing its international reach and adaptability [reuters.com].