Perplexity is looking for a dynamic and innovative attorney to join our small team to help advance the business, improve the products we’re building, and revolutionize the way people search and interact with the internet. This unique role offers significant responsibility to apply and strengthen your legal experience and offers growth potential in other areas of an in-house practice group.

About the Opportunity:

This is a unique role at Perplexity AI within our rapidly growing AI technology company. This role will have a variety of responsibilities but we're seeking a sharp, innovative product counsel who combines strong business judgment with practical problem-solving abilities. You will assist with legal initiatives related to our AI answer engine, models, and technologies. You'll be responsible for working closely with our AI, engineering, and product teams in the development and release of new products and services. The ideal candidate brings intellectual curiosity about AI technology, adaptability in an emerging landscape, and exceptional collaboration skills. Success in this role requires a deep understanding of high-growth startup environments, where you'll combine traditional legal expertise with sharp business risk assessment. As one of our first legal hires, you'll handle hands-on legal work while building scalable processes and managing key functions. We're seeking someone who is inquisitive, has an entrepreneurial drive, and the agility to thrive in our fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with product and engineering teams to identify and address legal risks in product development and go-to-market strategies
• Develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure responsible AI deployment
• Provide guidance on intellectual property issues, including copyright, fair use, and licensing
• Advise on privacy, data protection, and security matters across our suite of product verticals and features
• Stay current on evolving regulations related to AI, data use, and online services
• Help develop and scale legal processes as the company grows
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate complex legal requirements into practical solutions

Qualifications:

• JD and in good standing with an active US state bar membership
• At least 7+ years of law firm and/or in-house experience
• Strong business acumen and ability to partner with business and technical teams
• Strong understanding of privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA) and intellectual property law
• Experience with open-source software licensing and compliance
• An ability to communicate clearly with business and technical audiences and effectively translate legal concepts for non-lawyers
• Hands-on attitude to tackle projects large and small, low-ego approach to working across the organization
• Positive collaborative attitude, comfort with change and a fast pace, high level of integrity, and intellectual curiosity
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

Our cash compensation range for this role is $200,000 - $250,000.

At Perplexity, we've experienced tremendous growth and adoption since publicly launching the world's first fully functional conversational answer engine in 2022. We've grown from answering 2.5 million questions per day at the start of 2024 to around 20 million daily queries in December 2024. We also offer Perplexity Enterprise Pro, which counts leading companies like Nvidia, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bridgewater, and Zoom as customers.

To support our rapid expansion, we've raised significant funding from some of the most respected technology investors. Our investor base includes IVP, NEA, Jeff Bezos, NVIDIA, Databricks, Bessemer Venture Partners, Elad Gil, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Naval Ravikant, Tobi Lutke, and many other visionary individuals. In 2024, our employee base grew nearly 300%, and we're just getting started.