Perplexity AI CEO Offers Services to Support NYT During Tech Workers’ Strike

Amid the New York Times tech workers’ strike, Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas has offered the company’s assistance to maintain services during the disruption. With NYT tech staff on the picket line for better wages and fair labor practices, Perplexity's involvement has stirred online controversy over labor ethics.

On Monday, CEO Aravind Srinivas of AI search company Perplexity offered to step in and support the New York Times amid a strike by its tech workers. The NYT Tech Guild, representing tech staff providing essential software and data analysis services, had announced the strike following months of negotiations that failed to secure a 2.5% annual wage increase, along with other labor improvements.

In response to the strike, which comes just days before the U.S. presidential election, Srinivas responded to NYT publisher AG Sulzberger’s concerns over potential service disruptions. On X, formerly Twitter, Srinivas offered to assist the Times, saying, “Perplexity is on standby to help ensure your essential coverage is available to all through the election.

This proposal quickly drew criticism on social media, where many saw it as undermining the workers’ collective bargaining efforts. The term "scab," often used pejoratively for those who cross picket lines or replace striking workers, surfaced among users criticizing Srinivas’s offer. Perplexity, a company that has recently launched an elections information hub, emphasized that its goal was not to replace journalists or engineers but to offer technical infrastructure support for the high-traffic election period.

However, the distinction between technical support and replacement services remains unclear, given that the NYT tech workers are responsible for much of the infrastructure Srinivas offered to supplement. The New York Times and Perplexity have recently clashed over AI practices, with the Times issuing a cease-and-desist letter in October due to Perplexity’s use of its articles for AI training purposes.

As of now, no formal response has been issued by the NYT regarding Perplexity’s offer. Srinivas’s comments and the ensuing response highlight the ongoing tension in the tech and media sectors regarding AI’s role in labor and ethics.