Snap Secures $400 Million Perplexity Partnership to Integrate AI Search into Snapchat

Reviewed byNidhi Govil

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Snap Inc. announces a major $400 million deal with Perplexity AI to integrate the AI search engine into Snapchat starting in 2026. The partnership represents Snap's strategic push into AI-powered services while providing a new revenue stream beyond traditional advertising.

Major Partnership Announcement

Snap Inc. announced a groundbreaking $400 million partnership with Perplexity AI Inc. that will integrate the AI search engine directly into Snapchat's platform starting in early 2026

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. The deal represents one of the largest AI integration partnerships in social media, with Perplexity paying Snap through a combination of cash and equity over the course of a year

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Source: Economic Times

Source: Economic Times

Under the agreement, Perplexity's AI-powered answer engine will take "default" placement inside Snapchat's chat interface, allowing users to ask questions and receive conversational answers drawn from verifiable sources without leaving the app

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. This integration will complement Snap's existing My AI chatbot, which uses models from OpenAI and Google, rather than replacing it entirely.

Market Response and Financial Performance

The announcement triggered a significant market rally, with Snap shares surging more than 20% in extended trading following the news

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. The positive market response was amplified by Snap's better-than-expected third-quarter earnings results, which showed revenue of $1.506 billion, up 10% year-over-year and slightly above analyst expectations of $1.49 billion

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Source: SiliconANGLE

Source: SiliconANGLE

Despite the strong quarterly performance, Snap continues to face challenges in its core advertising business. The company reported that its North American advertising revenue grew only 1% year-over-year, with large North American brands reducing their spending

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. This slow growth in the company's largest market remains "the primary headwind to our overall revenue growth," according to company statements.

Strategic Implications and User Growth

The Perplexity partnership represents Snap's broader strategy to position itself as a leading distribution channel for AI companies seeking to reach younger demographics. Snapchat reached 943 million global monthly active users in the third quarter, representing 7% year-over-year growth

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. More than 75% of users aged 13 to 34 in over two dozen countries now use the platform, making it an attractive partner for AI companies.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

CEO Evan Spiegel emphasized that this collaboration "makes AI-powered discovery native to Snapchat, enhances personalization, and positions Snap as a leading distribution channel for intelligent agents"

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. The company has indicated it plans to pursue similar partnerships with other AI companies, potentially creating a new revenue stream beyond traditional advertising.

Perplexity's Expansion and Controversies

For Perplexity, the Snap partnership represents a significant expansion opportunity to reach nearly one billion users. "Millions of people connect and discover the world through Snapchat. By bringing Perplexity to Snapchat, we're able to serve that curiosity directly where it occurs," said Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas

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However, Perplexity has faced ongoing controversies regarding its content practices. The company has been accused multiple times of illegally scraping content to power its AI models and was recently sued by Amazon for alleged "computer fraud" related to its AI browser agent making unauthorized purchases

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. Additionally, Cloudflare de-listed Perplexity's crawler as a verified bot in August, citing concerns about stealth crawling practices.

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