Perplexity acquires Read.cv, a social networking platform for professionals.

Read.cv, a social networking platform for professionals that competed with LinkedIn, has been acquired by the AI-powered search engine Perplexity. Following this agreement, Read.cv will begin to wind down its operations on Friday. Users will have the option to export their data, including their profiles, posts, and messages, until May 16. In a blog statement, Read.cv expressed admiration for Perplexity, indicating that great things happen when global knowledge becomes more accessible and open. The post enthusiastically announced their joining the design and engineering team at Perplexity to move forward with a shared mission of exploration and discovery.

Andy Chung, founder of Read.cv and former product designer at Facebook, Mozilla, and Quip, expressed his excitement for the integration on social media, although he also acknowledged that this new phase marks the end of his time at Read.cv. A source from Perplexity confirmed the acquisition but did not provide further details. Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, highlighted in a social media post that the Read.cv team is highly capable in designing and building social and consumer experiences, and he eagerly anticipated the new directions in which they will collaborate.

Founded in 2021, Read.cv provided various tools that allowed users to share resumes and connect with other professionals in their industry. It also offered features aimed at organizations, such as team profiles, the ability to post job listings, and candidate searches. More recently, it launched a feature called Sites, which allowed users to create a personal website linked to their Read.cv profile. Users could also obtain a ".cv" domain and connect it to their profile. Read.cv has indicated that it will begin migrating the ".cv" domains to its partners at Hello.cv starting January 31, where users will be able to continue managing them.

The intentions of Perplexity regarding Read.cv, which had approximately three employees and received financial backing from F7 Ventures and Fanjul Capital, are unclear. However, Perplexity has been expanding its focus on enterprise-oriented functionalities, launching a business plan that includes user management and internal knowledge search. These moves may be driven by the expectations of the investors backing Perplexity, who are likely seeking short-term returns. Reports indicate that Perplexity has raised over $500 million in capital, with a valuation of $9 billion.

The acquisition of Read.cv marks Perplexity's third purchase, following the acquisition of Carbon, a company that connects AI systems to external data sources. In 2023, Perplexity also acquired Spellwise, whose CEO was brought on board to develop Perplexity's mobile application.