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From search to browsers: The next big battlefield

From search to browsers: The next big battlefield

During the mid-90s, we witnessed a battle for browser supremacy play out. Netscape was the cool kid on the early web – dominant, beloved, and pioneering. That was until Microsoft began bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, weaponising distribution to squash its rival. The US Department of Justice stepped in, and in 2000 ruled that Microsoft had violated antitrust laws.

Fast forward 25 years — and the DOJ is back at it. This time, Google is in the crosshairs. The case? That Chrome reinforces its monopoly in search, pushing users into Google’s ecosystem and making it harder for rivals to compete. Google also pays billions each year to remain the default on Apple’s Safari — controlling not just a search engine, but the entry point to the internet itself.

Now, a new browser war is brewing. But this time, it’s not about bookmarks or tab speeds — it’s about AI agents.

This week, Perplexity launched Comet, its AI-native browser. OpenAI is expected to follow. These aren’t just new browsers — they’re product shifts. Browsers are evolving from passive windows into active agents that can:

In a recent Y Combinator interview , Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas shared insights into the company’s direction – including the launch of Comet.

In the interview, Srinivas explained why Google struggles to move fast due to investor pressure, why Perplexity is betting on Comet to lead the next interface shift, and why data, trust, and memory will be critical to winning the space.

You aren't just searching for information anymore, you're completing tasks at scale.

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Comet is a cognitive operating system — not just a browser, but a task layer.

– Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity

Much like Apple’s product ecosystem, AI companies are aiming to make their platforms increasingly sticky. As users invest more data and time, the real benefits emerge: improved memory, greater personalisation, and seamless task completion.

That’s Perplexity’s pitch. Now, let’s see what Google and OpenAI do next.

You can sign up for Beta access here.

✏️ Beautiful templates

🚀 Powerful growth features

📈 Built-in analytics

💸 Monetisation tools

A new wave of search SaaS is emerging — and everyone wants a slice.

AI Search is 🔥

Or as Mugatu might put it… “That AI Search is so hot right now.”

Over the past few months, we’ve seen a wave of LLM search tools — from visibility dashboards and citation audits to prompt tracking and agent detection. The space is noisy, fragmented, and full of hungry startups.

I’ve tested a few. Some are still raw, others are very useful. What’s impressed me most is the energy: founder-led demos, smart UIs, and real attempts to help marketers navigate this exciting new frontier.

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Companies have spent the last 10 or 20 years optimising for the ‘10 blue links’ version of Google. That version is changing — fast — and it's not coming back.

– Andrew Yan, co-founder of Athena (via WSJ)

Below is a quick snapshot of some of the top players in the space — along with their latest funding rounds — originally compiled by Glen Allsopp.

Capital is flowing. Investors are circling. And while prompt volume, memory, and tracking personalised experiences still feel a little fuzzy, one thing’s clear: whoever gets this right could shape the future of how we find, see, and buy anything online.