Group 1 - Perplexity's valuation surged from $14 billion to $18 billion in just two months, reflecting its growing recognition as a challenger to Google in the AI search market [1] - The company completed a funding round in May at a valuation of $14 billion, but new investors were willing to pay $18 billion shortly after, indicating strong market interest [2] - Perplexity's annualized revenue increased from $35 million to $150 million over the past year, driven primarily by subscription services [2] Group 2 - The launch of the AI web browser "Comet" allows users to perform tasks like shopping and summarizing social media through voice and text commands, positioning Perplexity for competitive advantage [3] - Perplexity is expanding its product offerings and revenue streams, including advertising and e-commerce, which aligns with trends seen in competitors like Google and OpenAI [2]