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Cristiano Ronaldo enters AI arena with investment in Perplexity
Soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo with Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas.
Legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has announced that he is investing in Perplexity AI, joining the fast-growing artificial intelligence startup as both an investor and brand partner.
Sharing the news on social media, Ronaldo wrote: “Curiosity is a requirement for greatness. You win when you keep asking new questions every day. That’s why I am proud to announce my investment in Perplexity. Perplexity is powering the world’s curiosity, and together we will inspire everyone to ask more ambitious questions.”
As part of the partnership, Perplexity has launched a dedicated landing page titled “Perplexity x CR7”, highlighting Ronaldo’s career journey and positioning the collaboration as a long-term effort to encourage deeper learning and discovery.
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas also posted a photo with Ronaldo, calling it an honour to welcome him as an investor. “There’s a reason he is the GOAT: he’s relentless and constantly researches the latest techniques to recover and push boundaries. We will work together to make Perplexity the best AI for asking questions,” Srinivas wrote.
Perplexity, backed by Nvidia, has emerged as one of the most aggressively funded AI startups this year. The company has raised $234.5 million so far in 2024. In September, it secured $200 million at a $20 billion valuation. Earlier, in August, CEO Srinivas made an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser — an offer widely perceived as symbolic but reflective of the company’s ambitions.
The startup also offers a browser, Comet, designed to perform tasks on behalf of users, further expanding its AI-driven product ecosystem.
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