---
title: 'Account Executive, API at Perplexity'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/account-executive-api-perplexity-san-francisco-gb8hd1466s9f'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-13'
---

# Account Executive, API at Perplexity

- **Company:** [Perplexity](https://feeny.ai/companies/perplexity)
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $200k–$400k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-08-10
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity/5551fd7b-9ede-460e-9b38-4328c476a521

## Job description

Perplexity is seeking a self-starting, technically fluent Account Executive to join our small but mighty Enterprise team and own new business for the Perplexity API platform — the frontier AI developer tools (Search, Sonar, and Agent APIs) that power real-time, grounded answer engines. This is a rare seat. You'll get to sell — and help shape — frontier AI dev tools, with a front-row seat into how the most ambitious AI-native product companies think about frontier AI infrastructure. Your job is to evangelize that platform with large enterprises and turn it into durable revenue. This role is ideal for proactive sales professionals who thrive at the intersection of technology and business, can operate in ambiguity, and want to shape the future of enterprise AI.

## Responsibilities

- Drive new business by prospecting, pitching, and closing Perplexity API platform solutions with large organizations
- Research prospects, develop account strategies, and execute outreach campaigns tailored to company and industry needs
- Conduct high-impact product demonstrations and respond to RFPs and technical inquiries
- Lead client engagement through the entire sales cycle — from initial presentation, technical evaluation, negotiation, to closing and onboarding
- Build and nurture senior-level relationships across enterprise clients, championing Perplexity's value proposition and customer outcomes
- Partner closely with Product, DevRel, and Engineering to ensure customer success, solution fit, and a feedback loop into the roadmap
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of Perplexity's platform, industry trends, and competitor landscape
- Meet or exceed individual and team revenue targets on a monthly and quarterly basis
- Maintain accurate records of pipeline and account activity using CRM tools

## What we're looking for

- A self-starter who can operate in ambiguity and knock down walls to get deals done
- Technically fluent — comfortable speaking credibly with developers and technical buyers
- 3+ years of full-cycle SaaS sales experience, ideally with enterprise-level clients
- Proven record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets in a high-growth environment
- Skilled at complex sales cycles, tailoring messaging to different buyer personas and decision makers
- Proven success outbound prospecting to large enterprise
- Exceptional written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting to C-suite executives
- Adept at identifying client pain points and mapping solutions that drive business value
- Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and technical stakeholders
- Experience with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce)
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

## Nice to have

- Experience working with APIs or developer platforms
- A computer science or technical background
- Familiarity with the AI / LLM / agent ecosystem

## About Perplexity

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Perplexity builds an AI-powered answer engine that delivers accurate, real-time answers to any question, serving curious minds and professionals who demand precision and speed.
- **Entity Type**: Private (total funding $1.7B across 16 rounds)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, Andy Konwinski

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: AI-powered search and knowledge retrieval, Software Development
- **Target customers**: B2C (general users), B2B (enterprise API customers), and power users seeking reliable information
- **Mission**: “AI for people who expect more – more accuracy, more agency, more signal, less noise.”

## Products & Services
- **Perplexity AI (Free Tier)**: Real-time conversational search engine that synthesizes web results with citations, accessible via web and mobile app. *Type*: SaaS
- **Perplexity Pro**: Subscription offering enhanced features such as advanced AI models, multimodal search, and increased usage limits. *Type*: SaaS (subscription)
- **Perplexity API Platform**: Enables developers to integrate Perplexity’s search and reasoning capabilities into their own applications. *Type*: API
- **Perplexity Browser Extension**: Brings AI-powered search directly into the browser for quick answers without leaving the page. *Type*: Browser extension

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available in provided sources (prior reports indicate ~$9B valuation as of 2024, but not confirmed in this data set)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding $1.7B (16 rounds); annual revenue ~$50M (LinkedIn estimate)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not explicitly listed in provided search results; widely known investors include IVP, NEA, Jeff Bezos, and others (not sourced here)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 11.3% YoY to 1,152 employees; operates in 54 countries; LinkedIn followers grew 131.8% yearly to >1.6M; active hiring across 48+ open roles including AI Research, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams

## Competitive Advantages
- **Real-time, cited answers**: Unlike traditional chatbots, Perplexity grounds answers in live web results with transparent sources, building trust and accuracy.
- **Multimodal and agentic capabilities**: Continuously pushes frontier research (e.g., query-aware context compression, agents for knowledge work) that differentiates from generic LLM interfaces.
- **Vertical integration from research to product**: In-house AI research team tackles open problems unique to Perplexity’s scale, enabling fast iteration on novel methods.
- **Strong brand and user base**: Rapid consumer adoption with millions of monthly active users and high engagement.

## Strategic Focus
- **Pushing the frontier of search**: Evolving from retrieval services to code generation, agents, and full autonomy in knowledge work.
- **Expanding enterprise and API revenue**: Growing B2B footprint with API platform and enterprise solutions.
- **Global hiring and office expansion**: Offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, Austin, Washington D.C., London, Berlin, and Belgrade, with “4 days in office” hybrid model.
- **Investing in AI research**: Dedicated research division (Perplexity Research) exploring reasoning, agents, and systems to redefine how people navigate the internet.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Environment**: “Thoughtful support” culture with emphasis on craftsmanship, ownership, entrepreneurship, scholarship, and partnership. Hybrid schedule (4 days in-office) based on location.
- **Perks**: Daily catered meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner in office), office snacks, ride home program, commuter benefits, home office reimbursement, fitness classes, gym memberships.
- **Compensation & Benefits**: Competitive salary and equity packages; retirement plans with company match; flexible PTO; holiday shutdown between Christmas and New Year; 12 weeks paid bonding leave; comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
- **Relocation & Visa Support**: Relocation assistance and visa/green card sponsorship for eligible roles. Partners with immigration firm to support the process.
- **Engineering Excellence**: “Technical assessment for relevant roles”; values hands-on contribution, broad skill sets, and merit-based evaluation. Frequent Tech Talks and exposure to greenfield AI research problems.

## Sources
1. [perplexity.ai/hub/careers](https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/careers)
2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity)
3. [perplexity.ai](https://www.perplexity.ai/)
4. [linkedin.com/company/perplexity-ai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/perplexity-ai)
5. [research.perplexity.ai](https://research.perplexity.ai/)

## Other roles at Perplexity

- [Senior Cinematographer, Brand Studio](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-cinematographer-brand-studio-perplexity-san-francisco-2fyy35sdtdh1) — San Francisco, CA
- [Strategic Business Operations Lead, API](https://feeny.ai/job/strategic-business-operations-lead-api-perplexity-san-francisco-v9wgj13z5mkz) — San Francisco, CA
- [Technical Customer Success Manager, API](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-customer-success-manager-api-perplexity-san-francisco-8jsszbfvmpsm) — San Francisco, CA
- [Member of Technical Staff (Applied AI Engineer, Agent Capabilities)](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-applied-ai-engineer-agent-capabilities-perplexity-san-47rx693z06xs) — San Francisco, CA
- [Enablement Specialist, Perplexity Computer](https://feeny.ai/job/enablement-specialist-perplexity-computer-perplexity-san-francisco-n096fr55k7gk) — San Francisco, CA
- [Member of Technical Staff (General Software Engineer, Infrastructure)](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-general-software-engineer-infrastructure-perplexity-phdw5wsw1ys9) — San Francisco, CA
- [Virtual Events Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/virtual-events-manager-perplexity-san-francisco-9z3wjardvdqq) — San Francisco, CA
- [Field Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/field-marketing-manager-perplexity-san-francisco-3dfbnq1x8c0j) — San Francisco, CA
- [Product Manager, SMB Growth](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-smb-growth-perplexity-new-york-kd2qx39ttej6) — New York, NY
- [Product Manager, Mobile Apps](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-mobile-apps-perplexity-san-francisco-v9491j337kha) — San Francisco, CA