In a major strategic move to enhance its AI capabilities, Perplexity has acquired Invisible, a California-based digital infrastructure firm specializing in scalable AI-agent systems. This acquisition aims to bolster Perplexity’s recently launched AI-powered web browser, Comet, which seeks to transform how users interact with the internet by shifting from traditional search to an active conversational assistant.
Invisible was co-founded in 2023 by Minh Pham and JJ Ford, both industry veterans with prior experience at Uber and CloudKitchens. Their expertise lies in building multi-agent orchestration platforms that enable AI agents to perform complex tasks reliably and at scale. Invisible’s platform has demonstrated state-of-the-art performance on web automation, making it a critical asset for Perplexity’s ambitions.
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas emphasized that Invisible’s core technology is essential for scaling Comet’s backend infrastructure, enhancing both its operational efficiency and security. This integration aligns with Perplexity’s broader strategy of developing a self-sustaining AI ecosystem by acquiring companies like Carbon, specializing in AI data connectivity, and Spellwise, an AI-powered keyboard writer.
Comet: Revolutionizing Information Retrieval
Comet represents the next generation of web browsers powered by AI. It combines research, comparison, purchasing, scheduling, and explanatory functions in a single conversational interface. By leveraging Invisible’s multi-agent orchestration and automation APIs, Comet is positioned to disrupt the dominance of traditional search engines like Google. The acquisition helps Perplexity fortify the technological backbone necessary for Comet’s complex AI workflows.
Commitment to Independence
Unlike many startups in the AI field, Perplexity’s leadership has explicitly stated their dedication to remaining independent and not being acquired by big tech firms such as Meta, Google, or Microsoft. CEO Aravind Srinivas articulated this stance in a CNBC podcast, highlighting the opportunity for new players to disrupt markets while big tech continues innovating in parallel. This independent posture underpins the company’s strategic acquisitions, aimed at building a robust, autonomous AI platform rather than yielding to acquisition pressures.
Looking Ahead
The acquisition of Invisible signifies not just a technological integration but also a philosophical alignment between the two companies, both committed to pioneering infrastructure for AI agents. As Invisible joins Perplexity, the combined expertise is expected to accelerate the development and scale of AI-native technologies. Job seekers passionate about AI infrastructure are encouraged to explore open roles at perplexity.ai/careers.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, industry analysts view this acquisition as a bold step that may empower Perplexity to challenge established tech giants in the AI search and browsing space.
