Android is currently optimised for…: Why Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas wants Google to rebuild its operating system

Time of India

3 days ago

Perplexity AI
CEO
Aravind Srinivas
wants
Google
to rebuild its Android operating system. He noted that Android is more optimised for the tech giant's
ad-driven business model
than for enabling
AI-powered experiences
for smartphone users. Srinivas took to the social media platform X (earlier Twitter) to share his opinion that highlights a potential conflict as AI assistants become more common in smartphones. With this post, he questions whether current platforms, particularly those tied to advertising like Android, can evolve into intelligent, agentic systems that will primarily serve users. Srinivas questions whether Android's current priorities are aligned with the emerging era of
AI agents
, which are designed to interact proactively with users.
What Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas said about Android
In his X post, Srinivas wrote:
'Android needs to be rebuilt for AI. It's currently optimised for preserving Google's ad business rather than a truly agentic OS.'
With this post, he suggests that to achieve significant advancements in AI-first mobile computing, Google may need to make some fundamental changes to the operating system itself, rather than merely adding AI features as layers. This suggestion comes as Perplexity develops Comet, an AI browser that will compete with Google by offering query responses with inline citations.
This criticism comes at a time when Google is under increasing pressure on several fronts. According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Apple executives have internally discussed the possibility of acquiring Perplexity AI, with M&A chief Adrian Perica reportedly raising the idea with senior leaders, including services head Eddy Cue.
Recently, Srinivas also suggested that Google's key weakness lies in its heavy reliance on high-margin
search advertising
, which remains far more profitable than its other businesses, like YouTube, cloud services, or AI initiatives.
At the recently held Sohn Investment Conference, Srinivas explained how the Android-maker is trapped by its success. He noted,
'This is the first time in two decades that Google is extremely vulnerable.'