DOJ Seeks Perplexity Executive Testimony in Google Antitrust Penalty Phase
The Justice Department requests testimony from Perplexity's chief business officer to explore how generative AI impacts Google's search monopoly. Both Google and the DOJ currently seek internal documents from the AI search startup to support their opposing legal arguments.
The Justice Department calls on Perplexity chief business officer Dmitry Shevelenko to testify as it determines potential penalties for Google's search monopoly. The DOJ wants to question Shevelenko about how generative AI relates to search access points, distribution, and market barriers. This testimony aims to support the argument that Google unfairly dominates the search market and blocks emerging competitors.
Perplexity finds itself caught in the middle of this high-stakes legal battle between the tech giant and federal regulators. While the DOJ views the AI search startup as a key piece of evidence illustrating Google's anti-competitive practices, Google sees Perplexity differently. Google previously subpoenas Perplexity, Microsoft, and OpenAI to prove that viable competition actually exists in the modern search landscape.
A dispute over document production adds another layer of friction to the situation. Google complains in a recent court filing that Perplexity fails to provide a single document after two months of waiting, while Perplexity claims it agrees to fulfill twelve out of fourteen requests. The AI company states it is still evaluating the massive burden of collecting such an expansive universe of documents, particularly regarding complex licensing agreements related to AI training.