Aravind Srinivas' big, bold bet: Perplexity AI pitches to buy TikTok—and reinvent its algorithm

AI company Perplexity has said that it is interested in acquiring TikTok, positioning itself as a challenger to tech giants vying for control of the embattled video-sharing platform.

In a blog post, the San Francisco-based AI company detailed its vision of merging TikTok’s vast video library with Perplexity’s AI-driven search engine.

"TikTok has emerged as one of the most significant platforms for authentic creative expression and content discovery, connecting millions of users worldwide. And we think Perplexity can make TikTok even better," the AI company, led by Aravind Srinivas, said.

“Perplexity is uniquely positioned to rebuild TikTok’s algorithm from scratch—without creating a monopoly,” the company stated further.

TikTok is facing a big existential crisis in the U.S. as a new law mandates that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divest ownership or risk a nationwide ban. Newly-elected President Donald Trump, right after his wearing in, had confirmed that four groups are in talks to acquire the platform, though he stopped short of naming them.

While TikTok itself has shown little urgency to sell, potential buyers include Microsoft, Oracle, and media mogul Frank McCourt’s "People’s Bid for TikTok" initiative. Another surprise contender is YouTube star MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), who has hinted at an interest in the app.

Perplexity, however, claims its bid offers something different—transparency and user empowerment. The startup proposes a radical overhaul of TikTok’s core recommendation engine, making the “For You” feed open-source and free from “foreign government manipulation or monopolistic control.”

To address security concerns, Perplexity also pledged to host TikTok’s infrastructure within U.S. data centres and implement American oversight. It also promised to introduce AI-powered fact-checking, allowing users to cross-reference information as they scroll.

Most importantly, Perplexity went into sufficient detail talking about the existing problems with TikTok. For example, according to the AI company, TikTok is a 'black box' when it comes to its algorithm. Perplexity, in its statement, pledged to eliminate the present algorithm and rebuild it from ground up.

"The TikTok algorithm today is a black box. We believe these recommendation systems should be transparent. To eliminate risks of user manipulation, we propose rebuilding TikTok’s algorithm from the ground up with transparency as the guiding principle. Our promise is to turn TikTok into the most neutral and trusted platform in the world. To achieve this, we commit not only to developing a new algorithm but also to making the TikTok For You feed open source," Perplexity said.

Also, the company claimed that Perplexity is built on the principle of transparency, with every answer backed by 'citations' to foster a reliable information ecosystem.

Bringing this ethos to TikTok, Perplexity said that it plans to integrate real-time citations into videos, enabling users to instantly cross-check facts as they watch. This move aims to enhance trust and credibility on the platform, ensuring that content is both engaging and verifiable.