Perplexity cracks distribution..but is the brand ready for mass adoption?
What's in a name? A lot!
Perplexity is on a tear. Beyond building one of the most polished AI-powered search products out there, it’s also been busy securing major distribution deals.
The latest? A partnership with Airtel, one of India’s’s largest telecom providers. Over 360 million users now get free access to Perplexity Pro—bundled directly into their data plans.
And then, there’s Paytm integration. A Nothing phone collaboration - the kind of business development momentum most startups would kill for!
These deals represent more than just user acquisition - they’re strategic moves to embed Perplexity into daily digital workflows. The Airtel partnership alone has already shown results, with Perplexity overtaking ChatGPT as the top AI app on India’s Apple App Store following the promotional offer!
So yes, the product is sharp. The roadmap is focused. And the distribution playbook? Kickass!
But here’s the uncomfortable question:
Is Perplexity ready for mass adoption?
What Makes a Tech Brand Mass-Ready?
The great brands become verb (Google it, Dunzo it, Swiggy it).
And the legendary ones? They become a meme.
These brands didn’t just build strong products—they built names that people could say, share, joke about, and adopt as language. That’s the real threshold: when your brand enters daily vocabulary.
“Perplexity It”? Hmm.
Now try saying, “Just Perplexity it.”
Doesn’t quite land, does it?
The word Perplexity has academic appeal. It sounds smart, technical, maybe even clever in AI circles. (In fact, it’s a formal metric used to evaluate language models.)
But here’s the problem: it implies confusion.
In plain English, perplexity means uncertainty, puzzlement, not knowing. It’s ironic, considering the product is designed to give you clear, confident answers. That contradiction isn’t fatal—but it is friction.
And friction kills mass adoption.
If you’re an average user—say, a college student in Ranchi or a shopkeeper in Coimbatore—are you really going to remember, pronounce, or recommend something called “Perplexity”? Even in urban metros, it doesn’t exactly scream friendly, repeatable, or memeable.
It’s not just about English fluency either. It’s about name psychology. Some names spark joy, others spark effort.
Where the Perplexity brand stands today
Right now, Perplexity is riding the early adopter++ wave. It’s got tech influencers on side. Hacker News threads. A growing fanbase among knowledge workers and startup founders. And now—with Airtel, Paytm, and Nothing —it’s climbing the ladder of distribution.
But mass adoption is a different game.
It requires cultural fluency.
It demands verbal simplicity.
It thrives on instant recognition.
It all depends on ‘how easy is it to introduce the brand to a non-tech friend over dinner
Perplexity isn’t there yet (atleast I believe so..I had a hard time introducing the brand to a few non-tech friends and relatives).
Not because the product isn’t ready. But because the brand doesn’t yet live in the language of the people. And until it does, the leap from tool to household name will remain elusive.
The Real Test Ahead
Perplexity has done the hard things—built a solid product, cracked early distribution, and positioned itself clearly in a noisy market.
But the hardest thing in tech branding isn’t building.
It’s belonging.
Can people say it without friction? Can it become a reflex? Can it become a thing people reference, not just use?
That’s the real frontier for Perplexity.
For the record, I asked Perplexity what it thinks of the brand name, i.e. Perplexity and here is the response:
To be safe, I asked the same question to ChatGPT :)
What’s your take?