Meta Considered Buying Perplexity Before Betting on Scale AI
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Meta nearly bought Perplexity AI before deciding to invest in Scale AI, according to a Bloomberg report published today. People familiar with the talks said Meta held early-stage acquisition discussions with Perplexity’s leadership but didn’t move forward.
Perplexity, a startup aiming to challenge Google Search using generative AI, has seen rapid growth in the past year. Meta viewed it as a promising target, given the rising pressure to stay relevant in AI-driven search and assistant tech. But instead of pursuing a full buyout, Meta chose a different route — pouring fresh money into Scale AI, a company that helps train large language models.
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Sources close to the situation described the Perplexity talks as “exploratory.” Meta apparently walked away before discussing valuation or terms. It then focused its efforts on expanding partnerships and investments that align with its internal AI priorities, particularly in building infrastructure and model training tools.
This shift reflects Meta’s push to catch up to rivals like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. While it’s building its Llama model family in-house, Meta has moved aggressively to secure outside help. Its bet on Scale AI suggests a preference for support over ownership — at least for now.
Neither Meta nor Perplexity commented publicly on the matter. But the timing and nature of these conversations show how far Meta is willing to go to stay in the AI race — and who it’s willing to back.
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