OpenAI vs Perplexity: Founders, CEOs and History
OpenAI was founded in 2015 by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman and is led by Sam Altman. Perplexity was founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho and is led by Aravind Srinivas.
Company facts
OpenAI
- Founded
- 2015
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Sam Altman
- Employees
- 4,500
Perplexity
- Founded
- 2022
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Aravind Srinivas
- Employees
- 1,300
Founders
OpenAI
Sam Altman
Sam Altman co-chaired OpenAI at its 2015 founding and became CEO in 2019. He negotiated the Microsoft partnership, oversaw the ChatGPT launch in 2022, survived the board's brief attempt to remove him in November 2023, and led the October 2025 recapitalization…
Elon Musk
Elon Musk was an early co-chair and funder of OpenAI and left its board in February 2018. He later founded rival xAI in 2023 and sued OpenAI, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman in 2024, arguing the company abandoned its nonprofit mission.
Greg Brockman
Greg Brockman left his role as Stripe CTO to co-found OpenAI in 2015 and serves as president.
Ilya Sutskever
Ilya Sutskever was OpenAI's chief scientist from 2015 to May 2024, overseeing work behind the GPT series and ChatGPT. He voted to remove Sam Altman in November 2023, then said he regretted it. After leaving OpenAI he co-founded Safe Superintelligence Inc.
Perplexity
Aravind Srinivas
Aravind Srinivas co-founded Perplexity in 2022 and has been CEO since then. Before that he was a research scientist at OpenAI, working on generative models and reinforcement learning.
Denis Yarats
Denis Yarats is Perplexity's co-founder and CTO. He leads the engineering behind its retrieval, ranking and model stack, including the Sonar models offered through the developer API.
Johnny Ho
Johnny Ho is a Perplexity co-founder who has focused on product and search quality. He has been described in company materials as Chief Strategy Officer.
Andy Konwinski
Andy Konwinski is a Perplexity co-founder and board member who brought experience scaling an enterprise data company at Databricks. He also co-founded the Laude Institute, which funds AI research.
CEOs and their tenures
OpenAI
- Greg Brockman2015–present
President and Co-founder
Former Stripe CTO; returned from a 2024 sabbatical and remains president.
Source - Mira Murati2018–2024
Chief Technology Officer and interim CEO (former)
Served as interim CEO for two days in November 2023; left OpenAI in 2024.
Source - Sam Altman2019–present
Chief Executive Officer
Co-founder and CEO who turned OpenAI from a research lab into a consumer and enterprise platform; briefly removed by the board in November 2023 and reinstated days later.
Source - Fidji Simo2025–2026
CEO of Applications (former)
Former Instacart CEO who ran ChatGPT and other applications; stepped down from the full-time role in July 2026 for health reasons and stayed on as an adviser.
Source - Vijaye Raji2025–present
CTO of Applications
Statsig founder who joined via the 2025 acquisition to head product engineering for ChatGPT and Codex.
Source
Perplexity
- Aravind Srinivas2022–present
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Has led Perplexity since founding, through its funding rounds and the launches of Comet and Computer.
Source - Denis Yarats2022–present
Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer
Leads engineering for search, retrieval and the Sonar models.
Source
Timeline: OpenAI and Perplexity side by side
2015OpenAI
OpenAI founded as a nonprofit
OpenAI launched in December 2015 as a nonprofit AI research lab.
2019OpenAI
Capped-profit entity and Microsoft deal
OpenAI created a capped-profit subsidiary and received a $1 billion investment from Microsoft.
2022OpenAI
ChatGPT launch
ChatGPT launched on November 30, 2022 and reached 100 million users faster than any prior consumer app.
2022Perplexity
Perplexity founded
Incorporated August 22, 2022; launched its cited answer engine in December.
2023OpenAI
Board crisis
The nonprofit board removed Sam Altman in November 2023; he returned as CEO within days and the board was rebuilt.
2024Perplexity
$520M valuation with Jeff Bezos and Nvidia
January 2024 round led by IVP valued the company at $520M.
2024Perplexity
$3B then $9B valuation
June 2024 round at $3B; $500M raised at $9B in December 2024.
2025OpenAI
Acquired Jony Ive's io
OpenAI agreed to buy hardware startup io for just under $6.5 billion in an all-equity deal.
2025OpenAI
Recapitalization into OpenAI Group PBC
In October 2025 the for-profit became a public benefit corporation controlled by the OpenAI Foundation; Microsoft received about 27%.
2025Perplexity
Comet launched; $20B valuation
Comet browser launched July 2025; $200M raised at $20B in September 2025.
2026OpenAI
$122B funding round
OpenAI closed $122 billion in committed capital at an $852 billion post-money valuation on March 31, 2026.
2026OpenAI
Run rate nears $70B
Axios reported in September 2026 that annual recurring revenue was nearing $70 billion.
2026Perplexity
Microsoft Azure deal and Computer launch
Three-year ~$750M Azure agreement (January) and Computer agent launch (February).
2026Perplexity
Ninth Circuit vacates Amazon injunction
August 4, 2026 ruling lets Comet's shopping agent keep operating on Amazon while the case continues.
2026Perplexity
HP preload and Crusoe compute deal
Announced September 15, 2026.
Acquisitions
OpenAI
- io Products2025$6.5B
- Statsig2025$1.1B
- Rockset2024Undisclosed
- Global Illumination2023Undisclosed
Perplexity
No verified acquisitions are listed.
Questions about OpenAI vs Perplexity
Who is the CEO of OpenAI and Perplexity AI, Inc.?
OpenAI is led by Sam Altman and Perplexity AI, Inc. is led by Aravind Srinivas. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was OpenAI founded vs Perplexity AI, Inc.?
OpenAI was founded in 2015 — 7 years before Perplexity AI, Inc., which was founded in 2022. OpenAI's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Perplexity AI, Inc..
How many employees does OpenAI have compared to Perplexity AI, Inc.?
OpenAI employs approximately 4,500 people, while Perplexity AI, Inc. employs approximately 1,300. OpenAI has the larger workforce at 4,500 employees, compared to Perplexity AI, Inc.'s 1,300. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are OpenAI and Perplexity AI, Inc. headquartered?
Both OpenAI and Perplexity AI, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded OpenAI and Perplexity AI, Inc.?
OpenAI was founded by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever. Perplexity AI, Inc. was founded by Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, Andy Konwinski.
Which company has a longer operating history — OpenAI or Perplexity AI, Inc.?
OpenAI has been operating for approximately 11 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Perplexity AI, Inc. has been in operation for around 4 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the OpenAI vs Perplexity overview