Nvidia-backed Perplexity launches AI-powered Comet browser to challenge Google Chrome

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Nvidia-backed startup Perplexity AI announced on Wednesday the launch of Comet, a new AI-powered web browser designed to compete with Alphabet’s dominant Google Chrome. The browser aims to revolutionize web navigation by using intelligent AI agents capable of thinking, acting, and deciding on users’ behalf, streamlining tasks into a conversational experience.

Google Chrome currently dominates the global browser market with a 68% share as of June, far ahead of competitors like Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.

Comet offers users a unified interface where they can ask questions, perform tasks such as booking meetings, compare products, and summarize complex content—all via a built-in AI assistant. The browser targets simplifying workflows with natural language interactions.

Currently, Comet is accessible to subscribers of Perplexity Max, which costs $200 per month, with plans for a wider rollout by invite over the summer.

Backed by investors including Jeff Bezos, SoftBank, and Nvidia, Perplexity is positioning Comet not only as a browser competitor but also exploring new revenue avenues through advertising and e-commerce integration.

The move follows similar AI enhancements by competitors: OpenAI added a search engine feature to ChatGPT, and Google launched AI Overviews, an AI-driven search summary tool, last May.

Comet prioritizes user privacy by storing data locally and not using personal information for AI model training—a key differentiator likely to attract privacy-focused users.

However, Perplexity faces criticism from media companies like News Corp, Forbes, Wired, and Dow Jones for allegedly using their content without permission or payment. In response, Perplexity has introduced a publisher partnership program aimed at fostering collaboration with news organizations.

X’s Tumultuous Journey Under Elon Musk Culminates in CEO Linda Yaccarino’s Sudden Exit

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Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, announced on Wednesday she would step down, ending her tenure at the Elon Musk-owned social media platform amid ongoing controversies and challenges. Yaccarino was brought in to boost advertising revenue and ease the company’s heavy debt. During her leadership, she introduced new features such as a video tab and expanded fact-checking through X’s community notes.

Despite difficulties, X was on track to report its first annual advertising revenue growth since Musk’s 2022 acquisition, as some advertisers returned amid Musk’s increasing political influence, according to data from Emarketer.

Timeline of Key Events in X’s Evolution Post-Musk Acquisition:

  • April 2022: Musk offers $43 billion to acquire X, then known as Twitter.

  • May 2022: Musk pauses the deal over concerns about spam and fake accounts.

  • July 2022: Musk attempts to terminate the deal; Twitter sues Musk to enforce the merger.

  • October 2022: Musk completes acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion.

  • November 2022: Mass layoffs occur, including teams handling communications, content curation, and machine learning ethics.

  • May 2023: Linda Yaccarino, ex-NBCUniversal advertising chief, is named CEO to reverse ad revenue declines.

  • July 2023: Twitter is rebranded as X with a new logo, signaling Musk’s vision of an “everything app.”

  • November 2023: Musk endorses an antisemitic post on X, triggering a wave of advertiser departures.

  • August 2024: X sues the World Federation of Advertisers and major firms for an alleged unlawful boycott.

  • March 2025: Musk’s xAI acquires X in an all-stock deal valuing X at $33 billion.

  • July 2025: Yaccarino steps down as CEO without specifying reasons.

Yaccarino’s unexpected resignation closes a chapter marked by rapid transformation, political controversies, advertiser unrest, and strategic pivots as X continues its uncertain path under Musk’s ownership.

T-Mobile Ends DEI Programs Amid FCC Approval Push for Major Deals

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T-Mobile US announced on Wednesday that it is terminating its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs as it seeks approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for two significant transactions. In a letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, made public the same day, T-Mobile confirmed it is ending all DEI-related policies “not just in name, but in substance.”

The wireless carrier will eliminate any individual roles or teams dedicated to DEI, remove all DEI references from its websites, and strip DEI content from employee training materials. FCC Chair Carr welcomed the move, calling it “another good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination and the public interest.”

T-Mobile is awaiting FCC clearance to acquire most of regional carrier United States Cellular’s wireless operations, including customers, stores, and 30% of its spectrum assets, in a $4.4 billion deal. The FCC is also reviewing a separate deal where T-Mobile plans to form a joint venture with investment firm KKR to acquire internet service provider Metronet, which serves over 2 million homes and businesses across 17 states. T-Mobile intends to invest approximately $4.9 billion for a 50% stake in the joint venture and full ownership of Metronet’s residential fiber operations upon closing.

However, the decision has drawn criticism from FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, who called T-Mobile’s move “a cynical bid to win FCC regulatory approval” and accused the company of mocking its stated commitments to fighting discrimination and promoting fairness.

This is not the first time the FCC, under Chair Carr, a Trump appointee, has linked approval of telecom mergers with the dismantling of DEI programs. In May, the FCC approved Verizon’s $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications’ fiber-optic assets after Verizon agreed to end its DEI initiatives following an FCC investigation. Earlier in the year, Carr also opened a probe into Comcast’s promotion of DEI programs.

The rollback of DEI efforts follows former President Trump’s executive orders in January aimed at dismantling government-backed DEI programs and pressuring private companies to follow suit.