In a controversial move that has sparked debate about AI’s role in labor disputes, Perplexity AI search company CEO Aravind Srinivas has offered to provide services during a strike by New York Times technical workers, effectively proposing to cross a virtual picket line.
The NYT Tech Guild initiated their strike on Monday, following through on a deadline set months in advance for November 4. These workers, who provide critical software support and data analysis for the Times’ business operations, are seeking modest improvements to their working conditions, including a 2.5% annual wage increase and formalization of the current two-day-per-week in-office requirement.
The labor dispute escalated when the guild expressed frustration with management’s position: “The company has decided that our members aren’t worth enough to agree to a fair contract and stop committing unfair labor practices.” Kathy Zhang, the guild’s unit chair, emphasized the workers’ resolve, stating, “They have left us no choice but to demonstrate the power of our labor on the picket line.”
The timing of the strike, coming just before the U.S. presidential election, drew criticism from NYT publisher AG Sulzberger. He emphasized the public service aspect of their work: “Hundreds of millions of people are depending on The Times’s journalism on Election Day and afterward, and it is troubling that the Tech Guild would try to block this public service at such a consequential moment for our country.”
As workers demonstrated outside the NYT building in New York, the situation took an unexpected turn on social media. Perplexity’s CEO Srinivas, responding to Semafor media editor Max Tani’s quote of the publisher, posted: “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.”
This offer to effectively serve as a technological strikebreaker drew immediate and widespread condemnation on social media. The term “scab” – a derogatory designation for those who undermine strikes by replacing striking workers – was quickly applied to Srinivas’s offer. Such actions are traditionally viewed as undermining worker solidarity and limiting the effectiveness of collective bargaining.
While Srinivas might have intended to ensure public access to critical election information – something his company has recently addressed through its own elections info hub and map – the explicit offer to replace striking workers was seen as a direct challenge to labor rights. The move is particularly noteworthy given the existing tensions between the two organizations: The Times recently sent Perplexity a cease and desist letter regarding the startup’s practice of scraping articles for its AI system.
The controversy highlights the growing intersection of AI technology and labor rights, particularly in the media industry. In a recent conversation with TechCrunch, Srinivas notably declined to define “plagiarism” when questioned, adding another layer to the complex relationship between AI companies and traditional media organizations.
