TLDR
- Amazon filed a federal lawsuit against Perplexity AI on Tuesday to block its Comet shopping agent from operating on Amazon’s site
- The e-commerce giant accuses Perplexity of hiding bot activity as regular browsing and refusing to stop after multiple warnings
- Perplexity responded by calling Amazon’s legal move an attempt to crush innovation and protect its advertising income
- Amazon says the startup violated platform rules and put customer account security at risk with unauthorized access
- This legal fight could shape how AI shopping agents operate across the internet going forward
Amazon launched legal action against Perplexity AI this week. The lawsuit demands the AI startup stop its Comet agent from shopping on Amazon’s platform.
The case landed in San Francisco federal court on Tuesday. Amazon wants a judge to force Perplexity to shut down the disputed feature.
The retailer claims Perplexity broke into customer accounts without permission. Amazon says the startup made its automated bots appear like normal shoppers browsing the site.
This practice creates security holes for users, according to Amazon. The company says it asked Perplexity to stop multiple times but got ignored.
The lawsuit states Perplexity deliberately hid what Comet was doing. Amazon argues the startup should have been upfront about using AI agents to shop.
“Perplexity is not allowed to go where it has been expressly told it cannot,” the complaint reads. Amazon says breaking in with code is just as illegal as picking a lock.
Startup Calls Amazon a Bully
Perplexity isn’t backing down from the fight. The company called Amazon a bully in response to the lawsuit.
A blog post from the startup accused Amazon of using threats to kill innovation. Perplexity says customers deserve to choose which AI assistant handles their shopping.
CEO Aravind Srinivas stood by his company’s approach. He argued that AI agents acting for users should get treated like those users.
Srinivas says Comet doesn’t scrape or steal Amazon’s data. The tool only completes purchases when customers request them.
The startup also took shots at Amazon’s business model. Perplexity wrote that Amazon cares more about selling ads than helping shoppers.
User login details stay on devices and never reach Perplexity’s servers, the company claims. This setup protects privacy while letting the agent work.
How the Conflict Started
Amazon’s platform rules don’t allow bots or automated scrapers. The retailer first contacted Perplexity about this in November 2024.
Perplexity stopped using agents then. But the startup rolled out Comet in August with a workaround.
The new version identified itself as Google Chrome instead. Amazon tried blocking these disguised agents but Perplexity just updated the software again.
Amazon says apps that shop for users need to play by the rules. The company wants businesses to respect when they’re told no.
Both Sides Building AI Tools
The irony is both companies are developing similar technology. Amazon has its own AI shopping assistants in the works.
Buy For Me lets users shop from different brands inside Amazon’s app. Rufus helps recommend products and manage shopping carts.
CEO Andy Jassy discussed AI agents during a recent earnings call. He admitted the technology isn’t polished yet but said Amazon is open to partnerships.
The lawsuit might establish ground rules for AI agents across the web. Courts will decide how much freedom these tools get on third-party platforms.
Perplexity has faced criticism before over content usage. News publishers accused the startup of summarizing their articles without permission.
The company is currently valued at $20 billion. It runs its operations on Amazon Web Services with massive cloud commitments.
Even Jeff Bezos invested in Perplexity through his venture funds. The relationship makes this legal battle particularly awkward for both sides.
Get 3 Free Stock Ebooks
Discover top-performing stocks in AI, Crypto, and Technology with expert analysis.
- Top 10 AI Stocks - Leading AI companies
- Top 10 Crypto Stocks - Blockchain leaders
- Top 10 Tech Stocks - Tech giants
