Perplexity CEO Offers To Replace Striking NYT Staff With AI (techcrunch.com) 23
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The CEO of AI search company Perplexity, Aravind Srinivas, has offered to cross picket lines and provide services to mitigate the effect of a strike by New York Times tech workers. The NYT Tech Guild announced its strike Monday, after setting November 4 as its deadline months earlier. The workers represented provide software support and data analysis for the Times, on the business side of the outlet. They have been asking for an annual 2.5% wage increase and to cement a current two days per week in-office expectation, among other things. [...] Picketers demonstrated in front of the NYT building in New York as negotiations continued. Meanwhile, on X, formerly known as Twitter, Perplexity's CEO offered to step in for the striking workers.
Replying to Semafor media editor Max Tani quoting the publisher, Srinivas wrote: "Hey AG Sulzberger @nytimes sorry to see this. Perplexity is on standby to help ensure your essential coverage is available to all through the election. DM me anytime here." Many on X immediately castigated Srinivas for acting as a scab -- a derogatory term for people willing to perform the jobs of striking workers. It is widely considered a disreputable behavior in matters of labor and equity. By undercutting collective action, scabs limit the ability of workers to bargain with those in positions of power. Srinivas may simply be trying to make sure people have the information they need on election day. The company has lately unveiled its own elections info hub and map. But to offer its services explicitly as a replacement for striking workers was bound to be an unpopular move.
Though TechCrunch asked Perplexity for comment, Srinivas responded to TechCrunch's post on X saying that "the offer was *not* to 'replace' journalists or engineers with AI but to provide technical infra support on a high-traffic day." The striking workers in question, however, are the ones who provide that service to the NYT. It's not really clear what services other than AI tools Perplexity could offer, or why they would not amount to replacing the workers in question.
Replying to Semafor media editor Max Tani quoting the publisher, Srinivas wrote: "Hey AG Sulzberger @nytimes sorry to see this. Perplexity is on standby to help ensure your essential coverage is available to all through the election. DM me anytime here." Many on X immediately castigated Srinivas for acting as a scab -- a derogatory term for people willing to perform the jobs of striking workers. It is widely considered a disreputable behavior in matters of labor and equity. By undercutting collective action, scabs limit the ability of workers to bargain with those in positions of power. Srinivas may simply be trying to make sure people have the information they need on election day. The company has lately unveiled its own elections info hub and map. But to offer its services explicitly as a replacement for striking workers was bound to be an unpopular move.
Though TechCrunch asked Perplexity for comment, Srinivas responded to TechCrunch's post on X saying that "the offer was *not* to 'replace' journalists or engineers with AI but to provide technical infra support on a high-traffic day." The striking workers in question, however, are the ones who provide that service to the NYT. It's not really clear what services other than AI tools Perplexity could offer, or why they would not amount to replacing the workers in question.
Chapter 11? (Score:3)
At what point is the CEO offering to replace the business with a chapter 11 bankruptcy claim?
Presidential endorsement (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
AI (Score:3)
Re:AI (Score:4, Funny)
Is that the modern term for mechanical Turk?
Re: (Score:2)
NYT cried no tears for more valuable businesses automating because its own staff felt safe in their ivory tower.
They're not solid with anyone but themselves.
Just a PR opportunist (Score:4, Insightful)
He's just hopping on the NYT strike news to get free marketing for his company.
I have no comment either way on the strike itself. I haven't looked into their complaints or demands, yet.
But this guy is a vampiric leech POS of the highest order with this shit move.
Two Perplexity stories in short order? (Score:3)
Seems pretty obvious someone at Perplexity is trying to get some media attention it couldn't manage to get any other way.
Re: (Score:2)
Do we know that this someone is human?
The Times Should go for it! (Score:2)
Yep, that will "help"... (Score:2)
Seriously, have still not reached peak stupid? If people could actually be replaced by AI, it would have happened a while ago. LLMs are, in many a sense, the _least_ capable products of AI research so far.
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, you took the "tech crunch" headline at face value?
Bezos is his investor and Musk his green card .. (Score:2)
All I need to know? (Score:1)
Musk said DT will provide a green card fix personally for him.
Musk is a US citizen, why would he need a green card?
That is probably all you need to know.
Your post makes no sense whatsoever so... no, it's not all I need to know.
Hate Musk if you like, but consider finding defensible reasons for hating him.
Just sayin'
Re:All I need to know? (Score:4, Interesting)
Musk is a US citizen, why would he need a green card?
Musk lied on his immigration application form, and his political adversaries are saying his citizenship should be revoked.
I doubt anything will come of it, regardless of who wins tomorrow.
Re: (Score:2)
It's fine if you want to be one of those people who defend Musk no matter what.
But check he's even the person being attacked
Just sayin'
him = The CEO of AI search company Perplexity, Aravind Srinivas
AI is also much more environmentally friendly! (Score:2)
AI writing (BLOOM or ChatGPT) produces 130 to 1400 times less CO2 per page than a human author. AI also produces substantially less CO2 than the computer
usage to support humans doing that writing.
-- The Carbon Emissions of Writing and Illustrating Are Lower for AI than for Humans [arxiv.org], pg. 6
I'm not personally a fan of replacing writers with AI to drastically reduce the associated carbon emissions, but I would like to know if the people who say I need to give up hamburgers to reduce CO2 [nytimes.com] (among other deprivations) can explain why that shouldn't happen in context of their own criteria.