X's Nikita Bier calls out Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas over promotion disclosure concerns

A fresh online spat has broken out between Nikita Bier, product head at X, and Aravind Srinivas, Chief Executive Officer of Perplexity AI, after allegations of undisclosed promotions linked to the company's latest product rollout.

The controversy began after Perplexity announced the launch of "Personal Computer" through its official account on X. The company said the feature integrates with its Mac app to manage files, apps, and browser tasks, and is being rolled out to subscribers and waitlisted users.

Responding to the announcement post, Bier accused Srinivas of running "undisclosed promotion campaigns," alleging that such activity misleads users and affects credibility. He tagged Srinivas directly in his post.

Bier also amplified a thread by Simon Goddek, who claimed that networks promoting crypto and AI products on X operate unethically and violate platform rules. Goddek's post included a screenshot that he said showed a Perplexity advertisement without disclosure.

According to Perplexity's website, the newly launched system is designed to bring multiple AI capabilities into one interface. The company said the tool can perform tasks across software environments in a way similar to a human co-worker, including searching, building, coding, and managing workflows.

Users raise concerns online

Several users responding to the situation pointed to unusual activity around the announcement.

One user wrote, "I knew something was off, I noticed it yesterday. There were many accounts posting within minutes, getting 10k+ views almost instantly, and several reposts too, but barely 10 likes or comments. It didn't add up at all."

Another user said, "The 'NO PAID PROMO TAGS' line tells you everything. If you need to hide the disclosure, you already know it's dishonest."

A third user commented, "With that level of integrity, I would not even be surprised if one day we catch them inserting spyware, backdoor, adware or any other suspicious stuff to Perplexity Computer."

Perplexity has not publicly responded to Bier's allegations in the provided information.