Aravind Srinivas, CEO of the AI search company Perplexity, recently offered services to the New York Times (NYT) during a strike by its tech workers, causing a strong online reaction. This offer, announced on social media, came just two days before the US presidential election, a critical period for NYT’s coverage.
The strike by the NYT Tech Guild, which represents software support and data analysis employees, began on November 4 after unsuccessful negotiations. The workers demand a 2.5 per cent annual wage increase and a limit of two in-office days per week. Other demands include protections against layoffs and better remote work terms. The Guild expressed frustration on social media, accusing NYT management of not offering a fair contract and engaging in “unfair labour practices.” Kathy Zhang, a Guild representative, stated that the strike would demonstrate the workforce's strength on the picket line.
NYT publisher AG Sulzberger criticised the strike's timing, calling it “troubling” due to the newspaper’s crucial role during an election impacting “hundreds of millions of people.” He stressed the importance of NYT’s journalism during this period, suggesting the strike could disrupt this vital public service.
In response to a post by media editor Max Tani regarding Sulzberger’s comments, Srinivas offered Perplexity’s support, suggesting his company could assist NYT in maintaining election coverage. “Perplexity is on standby to help ensure your essential coverage is available to all through the election. DM me anytime,” Srinivas posted.
This offer faced strong criticism on social media, with many viewing it as an attempt to undermine the strike. Commenters accused Srinivas of acting as a “scab,” a term for someone willing to take over the jobs of striking workers, seen as undermining labour rights. The criticism focused on the idea that offering AI services as a replacement disregarded the collective bargaining efforts of NYT tech staff.
Srinivas later clarified that his offer was not meant to “replace” NYT’s workers but to provide additional support on what is expected to be a high-traffic day. However, since the striking workers handle those technical and support functions, the offer remains controversial.
In a post he said, "It would be bad for the country if NYT were down on Election Day. Everyone should pitch in to help. To be clear, the offer was not to "replace" journalists or engineers with AI but to provide technical infra support on a high-traffic day."
The NYT Tech Guild’s strike is set to continue through the election period, marking the first time in 60 years that the NewsGuild has taken such action during a presidential election.