Observed Signal · Jun 17, 2024 · Product Launch · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Perplexity Emerges as Major Google Competitor
Perplexity, the AI answering machine startup, is positioned as a serious competitor to Google and other search giants. Valued at over $1 billion in spring 2024, it has pursued enterprise traction through partnerships with SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom to offer services to business customers. The new B2B offering, Enterprise Pro, includes five free Pro searches per day and an image-upload feature. Pro runs on PPLX Online LLMs (based on Mistral-7B and Llama2-70B) and adds GPT-4 Turbo, Claude 3 Sonnet, and Opus. The company expanded language support to Korean, Japanese, German, French, and Spanish in March 2024 and reports about 15 million monthly active users with over 85 million visits in May 2024. Discover Feed and Perplexity Pages are in play, emphasizing explicit source citations and topic discovery, while Tako enables visual data integrations and native ads are being considered. Advisory additions include Mikhail Parakhin, Emil Michael, and Rich Miner.
Emerging AI search competitor with enterprise partnerships and new product features signaling shifts in the AdTech/MarTech landscape.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Perplexity valued at over $1B in spring 2024.
- Enterprise Pro launched with SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom; includes five free Pro searches per day and an image-upload feature.
- Pro uses PPLX Online LLMs (Mistral-7B, Llama2-70B) plus GPT-4 Turbo, Claude 3 Sonnet, and Opus.
- Language expansion to Korean, Japanese, German, French, and Spanish in March 2024; ~15M MAU and >85M visits in May 2024.
- Discover Feed and Perplexity Pages with explicit source citations; Tako integration for visual data; native ads planned.
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US Government Excludes Microsoft from Visa Program
The US government has barred Microsoft from participating in the permanent residency process for foreign workers with H-1B visas, accusing the company of abusing the program. Vice President JD Vance stated that Microsoft laid off 6,000 American employees last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visa holders. The Department of Labor, led by Keith Sonderling, will not accept new permanent residency applications from Microsoft, as well as several consulting firms and Adobe. This action comes weeks before the midterm elections and reflects the Trump administration's broader criticism of the H-1B program, which it claims disadvantages American workers. Microsoft has not yet responded. The move could impact the tech industry's ability to retain skilled foreign talent.
Amazon unveils new Alexa tablets with AI and Google Play
Amazon has announced a new generation of tablets under the Alexa brand, including the Alexa Tablet 12 Pro, Alexa Tablet 11, and Alexa Tablet 8. All devices run on Android, integrate the AI assistant Alexa+, and for the first time offer direct access to the full Google Play Store, allowing users to install apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Gmail alongside Amazon services. The tablets feature various screen sizes, processors, and battery lives, with prices starting at $229.99. A special Kindle reading mode and new kids' models with parental controls have also been introduced. Sales begin in North America on October 8, with shipping from October 14, and European availability, including Germany, starts October 19.
Grok Bot Searches X, Integrates Rival AI Models
SpaceXAI has enhanced its AI agent Grok Bot with the ability to continuously search and analyze the entire X platform. Users can now deploy the agent for 24/7 social listening, brand monitoring, and trend analysis, similar to Google's Information Agents. Grok Bot will also integrate other AI models from competitors, such as Claude Opus 5.5, Midjourney, and Suno, depending on the task. This move signals a shift towards multi-model AI agents and expands the capabilities of AI-driven social media analytics.
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