$2M wagered on Polymarket over whether Perplexity AI gets acquired before 2027

Polymarket traders have put nearly $2.4 million behind the question of whether Perplexity AI will be acquired before the end of 2026. The implied probability sits around 13% to 15%, which translates to: most bettors think it probably won’t happen, but enough of them think it might to make this one of the more interesting contracts in the prediction market’s tech category. Perplexity AI is the AI-powered search engine founded in August 2022 that has raised over $1.5 billion and seen its valuation climb past $20 billion by late 2025. Why traders are watching this deal Reports have previously surfaced suggesting that both Apple and Meta expressed interest in acquiring Perplexity. The company has denied any active acquisition discussions. A $500 million funding round closed in late 2024 at a reported $9 billion valuation. That number has more than doubled since, which tells you something about the velocity of AI valuations right now. Perplexity has publicly indicated it’s targeting a 2028 IPO. That timeline gives the company roughly two more years of private growth before going public, and it also means any acquirer would need to move fast and pay a premium that exceeds whatever IPO va...