Perplexity CEO Claims AI Browser Comet Can Replace New Hires by Supercharging Productivity

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas has made a bold claim about the company’s new AI browser, Comet, suggesting it’s so capable that businesses might no longer need to expand their workforce. According to Srinivas, Comet’s ability to perform complex tasks autonomously can save companies the cost of hiring additional employees while significantly enhancing productivity.

Perplexity’s Comet AI browser, now positioned as a rival to Google Chrome, is designed to function as a smart digital assistant capable of managing nearly every web-based task. The AI-powered browser can perform actions directly on webpages, organise browser tabs, shop online, book flights, and provide concise summaries of web content—all in response to user prompts.

Initially available only to Perplexity Max subscribers, Comet’s access was recently expanded to all users worldwide after its waitlist surged into the millions. Notably, the company had made the browser free in India even before extending the offer globally.

Srinivas shared his enthusiasm about Comet’s potential in an interview with CNBC, emphasising that its capabilities could redefine how digital work is done. “Instead of hiring one more person on your team, you could just use Comet to supplement all the work that you’re doing,” he said. He believes that the tool empowers individuals to accomplish more without scaling headcount.

According to Srinivas, the productivity gain from using Comet could be equivalent to $10,000 per employee per year—a figure that highlights the browser’s value proposition for businesses seeking to optimise efficiency and reduce costs. “It’s truly about delivering value and you being able to delegate tasks to it,” he added, describing how Comet acts as a personal digital assistant that lightens the workload.

Perplexity is also confident that this productivity revolution could have far-reaching global effects. Srinivas estimates that “human digital knowledge work” contributes around $25 trillion to the global GDP. If AI tools like Comet can improve productivity by just 20 percent, he predicts this could add nearly $5 trillion to the world economy.

“It’s truly about delivering value and you being able to delegate tasks to it,” Srinivas reiterated, framing Comet not as a job replacer but as a workforce enhancer that lets individuals focus on higher-level thinking while AI handles repetitive online tasks.

Still, the CEO carefully stopped short of discussing potential job losses tied to Comet’s introduction. His remarks come at a time when AI adoption is reshaping the global employment landscape, with IT giants like TCS and Accenture reportedly cutting thousands of roles amid automation-driven changes.

As AI continues to evolve from a tool into a collaborator, Srinivas’ vision for Comet underscores a growing belief across the tech industry: the next generation of browsers won’t just display information—they’ll actively participate in getting work done.

With Comet now freely available, Perplexity aims to democratise access to AI-driven productivity, signaling what could be a new era in how humans interact with the web and manage their daily digital tasks.