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Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of AI startup Perplexity, issued a stark warning to students and budding entrepreneurs at Y Combinator\u2019s AI Startup School this week, urging them to be prepared for the inevitability of Big Tech<\/a> copying successful ideas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Addressing an audience of undergraduates, graduates, and PhD candidates, Srinivas underscored the competitive intensity of the AI sector, where larger companies such as Google, Meta, and OpenAI are constantly scouting for innovations they can replicate and scale. \u201cIf your company can generate revenue in the hundreds of millions or even billions, you should always assume that a major player will try to copy it,\u201d he cautioned, according to Business Insider<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Reflecting on Perplexity\u2019s own journey, Srinivas revealed that at its initial launch, the company\u2019s chatbot was one of the first to feature real-time web browsing, a capability that has since been adopted by several of its larger rivals. \u201cWe introduced real-time search to make our answer engine truly dynamic<\/a>. Months later, others followed,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Launched in December 2022, Perplexity\u2019s platform <\/a>positioned itself as an \u2018answer engine\u2019, a tool designed to provide clear and factual responses through up-to-date web searches. At the time, most AI chatbots operated using static, pre-trained data. However, the tide quickly shifted. Google added browsing to Bard (now Gemini) just three months later. ChatGPT integrated similar functionality in May 2023, and Anthropic\u2019s Claude incorporated real-time search earlier this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Srinivas acknowledged that while imitation by tech giants can be daunting, it is also a marker of success. \u201cYou will have to learn to live with that fear,\u201d he said, encouraging founders to remain focused on speed, originality, and building trust<\/a> with users, factors that can offer a competitive edge even in a saturated market.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Meanwhile, OpenAI is reportedly developing its own web browser, set to debut in the coming weeks. The browser<\/a> is expected to further blur the lines between chat and traditional internet navigation, allowing users to complete tasks like filling out forms or making reservations within a conversational interface. This move aligns with OpenAI\u2019s broader strategy to embed itself deeper into users’ digital routines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n