OpenAI, Perplexity called out as "likely flops" at major AI conference

Technology Nov 16, 2025

At the Cerebral Valley AI Conference, a quick survey of 300 attendees named OpenAI and Perplexity as the top billion-dollar startups most likely to flop.
Even though OpenAI is hugely popular, folks are worried about its sky-high valuation and expensive infrastructure.
Perplexity, which is trying to take on Google in AI search, actually topped the list.

Investors leaning toward Anthropic instead

When asked where they'd put their money, most attendees picked Anthropic—the team behind Claude—showing a shift in investor confidence.
The survey hints that people are getting more cautious about big promises in AI.
Perplexity took its "flop" ranking in stride, joking about how informal the poll was.