Perplexity AI sued by startup for allegedly stealing 'wake word' technology (updated)

Volkswagen AG

25/09/2026 19:21

Adds Perplexity comment in bullet 2
By Blake Brittain
Sept 25 (Reuters) - Startup DaVoice has sued Perplexity AI in California federal court for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to "wake word" technology for AI assistants.
The heavily redacted complaint filed on Thursday said that Perplexity stole DaVoice's secrets after the companies collaborated on unspecified technology "built with DaVoice’s proprietary source code, inference logic, network architecture, training approaches, training data, and know-how"
A Perplexity spokesperson on Friday called the lawsuit "a baseless attempt to claim ownership of standard wake-word technology" and said the companies' agreement "expressly protects our right to develop our own 'similar, equal or competitive products or services.'"
Spokespeople and attorneys for DaVoice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
DaVoice specializes in technology that allows devices to continuously listen for "wake words" to activate them
The startup said that it has collaborated with companies including Volkswagen and internet-of-things company Samsara
Perplexity is best known for its AI-powered search engine technology and Comet browser and AI assistant
The case is DaVoice v. Perplexity AI Inc, US District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 3:26-cv-10909.
For DaVoice: Davida Brook and Ian Crosby of Susman Godfrey
For Perplexity: attorney information not yet available

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)