Perplexity AI is keeping its 2028 IPO plan unchanged, even as OpenAI and Anthropic prepare for public listings that could test investor appetite for the next wave of artificial intelligence companies.
TL;DR
- Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said 2028 remains the company’s planned IPO timeline.
- The plan will not depend on how Anthropic or OpenAI perform in public markets.
- Srinivas said weak AI IPOs could still create ripple effects across the industry.
- Perplexity said holding 2028 as its earliest IPO date has helped it build a healthy, high-growth business.
Perplexity AI is planning to go public in 2028, and the company does not plan to change that timeline based on how other artificial intelligence companies perform on Wall Street.
The update came from Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, who told CNBC that the AI search startup’s IPO plan remains intact, even as OpenAI and Anthropic move closer to public listings. Reuters also reported the comments, citing CNBC’s interview with Srinivas.
“Agnostic of these two companies, we were planning for something in 2028, so that still remains the case,” Srinivas told CNBC.
Why Perplexity Is Sticking With 2028
Perplexity appears to be taking a steady approach at a time when AI companies are attracting sky-high valuations, intense investor attention, and growing scrutiny around revenue, costs, and long-term defensibility.
The company’s Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko told Reuters in an emailed statement that “by consistently holding 2028 as our earliest date for an IPO, Perplexity has been able to build a healthy, high-growth business.”
This also lines up with Srinivas’ earlier comments from 2025, when he addressed speculation around Perplexity’s finances and said the company was not running out of money and did not plan to go public before 2028.
The decision gives Perplexity more time to expand its AI-powered search and answer engine before entering public markets. The company operates in a competitive space that includes traditional search engines, AI chatbots, and answer engines backed by major model developers.
What About OpenAI And Anthropic?
Perplexity’s IPO comments come as the broader AI market moves toward a major public-market test.
Reuters reported that Anthropic confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO on June 1, 2026, setting up one of the most closely watched stock-market debuts in the AI sector. The report said Anthropic had recently raised $65 billion at a post-money valuation of $965 billion.
Reuters also reported that OpenAI confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO earlier this week, following Anthropic’s move.
Business Insider noted that the listings of OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX could shape how public markets value the next generation of AI and technology giants.
Srinivas acknowledged that these listings could affect the wider industry, even if they do not alter Perplexity’s own plans.
“I certainly think there will be ripple effects if they don’t go well, like there is no sugar coating on that,” Srinivas told CNBC.
He also added that it is important for the AI industry that these IPOs go well and said he believes they will, because “they’re doing well.”
The Bigger AI Valuation Question
The comments come at a time when investors are asking whether leading AI companies can continue justifying high private valuations.
Srinivas defended the valuations of OpenAI and Anthropic, saying both companies remain at the cutting edge of AI development. However, he also warned that a lack of progress in model capabilities could become a problem.
“If for six months you don’t see a model capability advance from one of these two companies, then it’s a problem for them,” Srinivas said.
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He also pointed to changing customer behavior in the AI market. According to Business Insider, Srinivas said companies are becoming more selective about which AI models they use, especially when lower-cost open-source models can deliver enough performance for practical tasks.
That could become a key issue for Perplexity, OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI companies as they move from rapid adoption to sustainable business models.
For now, Perplexity’s message is simple: the company is watching the IPO race, but it is not letting that race set its own timeline.
