When it comes to Perplexity’s ad business, the platform is at a crossroads

The departure of Perplexity’s ads chief, Taz Patel, didn’t mark a pivot so much as confirm a tension that’s been simmering for months. Rather than signaling a full-blown retreat from advertising, the exit underscores a broader identity question the AI platform has yet to resolve.

According to three of the ad execs Digiday interviewed for this article, no one really knows what Perplexity’s strategy is, or if it even knows itself. Patel’s sudden departure — with no immediate successor in sight — only makes that murkiness harder to ignore. 

“He was the only one who had a clue [about Perplexity’s ad vision], and it wasn’t much,” said an ad exec, who recounted their impression of Patel on condition of anonymity. “Given my perceptions of him and the interactions I and our team have tried to have with him on behalf of multiple clients in the last 90 days. Not impressive.”

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