AI company led by ‘Desi CEO’ wants to merge with TikTok

Perplexity AI, the AI-powered search engine startup led by Aravind Srinivas, has reportedly submitted a bid with TikTok parent company ByteDance to acquire its US business, proposing a merger with the popular video-sharing platform. The move comes as TikTok goes dark in the country with Apple and Google removing the app from their respective app stores.

Citing a source familiar with the situation, a report by CNBC said that the proposed deal will see Perplexity AI merge with TikTok US, with ByteDance’s existing investors retaining their equity stakes.