By The Tech Buzz Team
Publication Date: 2026-02-18 11:38:00
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Perplexity stopped pursuing ads late 2025 and isn’t exploring new deals, executives told Business Insider and Financial Times
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The shift aligns Perplexity with Anthropic’s ad-free approach while OpenAI embraces advertising revenue
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Trust concerns drive the split – companies worry users won’t rely on AI chatbots designed to upsell products
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The divergence highlights AI industry pressure to find sustainable revenue amid massive infrastructure spending
Perplexity is backing away from advertising as the AI industry faces a crucial fork in the road over monetization. The AI search startup quietly phased out ads late last year and isn’t pursuing new ad deals, executives confirmed Monday at a roundtable event. The pivot throws the company’s lot in with Anthropic’s ad-free stance while OpenAI charges ahead with advertising plans, exposing a fundamental divide over whether users will trust AI chatbots with a commercial agenda.
Perplexity just picked a side in what’s shaping up to be the AI industry’s defining business model battle. The company phased out advertising late last year and isn’t exploring any new ad partnerships, executives revealed Monday at a media roundtable, according to reports from Business Insider and the Financial Times. It’s a complete reversal for the startup that once seemed ready to follow the traditional search playbook.
The timing couldn’t be more telling. While OpenAI pushes deeper into advertising as a revenue stream for ChatGPT, and
