Perplexity, a US-based AI search startup, has acquired Invisible, a team known for its scalable infrastructure expertise and past experience at Uber and CloudKitchens.

The deal brings Minh Pham and Justin Takamine to Perplexity to help scale its Comet infrastructure for both consumer and enterprise users.

Minh Pham, the co-founder and CEO of Invisible, is a Vietnamese engineer based in Silicon Valley.

Perplexity said the acquisition aims to improve the security and reliability of its Comet infrastructure.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

🔗 Source: Aravind Srinivas

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Companies increasingly choose acquisition over internal development for specialized capabilities

Perplexity’s acquisition of Invisible reflects a broader strategic shift where companies opt to “buy it, instead of building it” when they need specialized expertise quickly1.

This approach allows companies to immediately access proven talent and established systems rather than investing months or years developing capabilities from scratch.

The Invisible team’s background at Uber and Cloud Kitchens likely means they’ve already solved complex infrastructure challenges that Perplexity would otherwise need to figure out internally.

Acquiring the team gives Perplexity immediate access to both their technical knowledge and operational experience in building scalable agent infrastructure.

2️⃣ Talent retention becomes critical in small team acquisitions

Since this appears to be primarily a talent acquisition, Perplexity will need to focus heavily on retaining the Invisible team post-acquisition.

Research shows that post-acquisition voluntary turnover rates can spike due to role conflicts, stress, and uncertainty about the future1.

The key leadership roles given to Minh Pham and Justin Takamine suggest Perplexity recognizes that keeping the acquired talent engaged and empowered is essential for the acquisition’s success.

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