In the fast-evolving world of artificial intelligence, few names shine as brightly as Aravind Srinivas, the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI. At just 31, this Indian-American entrepreneur has taken the tech industry by storm, building a company that’s challenging giants like Google with its innovative AI-powered “answer engine.” From his roots in Chennai, India, to leading a $9 billion startup in Silicon Valley, Aravind’s journey is one of grit, curiosity, and an unrelenting passion for knowledge. Let’s dive into his story and explore how he’s reshaping the way we interact with information online.
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From Chennai to Silicon Valley: A Humble Beginning
Aravind Srinivas was born on June 7, 1994, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, a city that also gave the world Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai. Growing up in a middle-class family, Aravind’s early life was shaped by his mother’s unwavering belief in his potential. He recalls her pointing at the IIT Madras campus during bus rides, declaring, “This is where you’re going to study.” That vision became reality when Aravind enrolled at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, earning dual degrees in electrical engineering. Though he initially aimed to switch to computer science, a narrow miss in grades kept him in electrical engineering—a twist of fate that he now sees as a blessing in disguise. His exposure to Python and machine learning at IIT laid the groundwork for his future in AI.
A Scholar and Innovator: Academic and Research Roots
Aravind’s academic journey didn’t stop at IIT. He pursued a PhD in computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, diving deep into reinforcement learning, generative models, and computer vision. During his time at Berkeley, he published nine papers in top-tier AI conferences like ICLR, AAAI, and NeurIPS, collaborating with professors like Ravindran B and Mitesh Khapra. His research stints at OpenAI, Google Brain, and DeepMind further honed his expertise, where he worked on cutting-edge projects in machine learning. It was at OpenAI that he crossed paths with influential figures like John Schulman, a key mind behind ChatGPT, sparking connections that would shape his career. Aravind’s academic rigor and curiosity-driven mindset set him apart as a thinker who wasn’t just chasing trends but building the future.
Building Perplexity AI: Redefining Search
In 2022, Aravind co-founded Perplexity AI with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, aiming to revolutionize how we search for information. Unlike traditional search engines that deliver a list of links, Perplexity’s “answer engine” uses AI to provide direct, cited responses to user queries. Launched in December 2022, the platform quickly gained traction, processing 780 million queries in May 2025 alone. Backed by heavyweights like Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, and Yann LeCun, Perplexity has soared to a valuation of $9 billion, with recent talks pushing it toward $18 billion. Aravind’s vision is clear: transition from an answer machine to an “action machine” that not only answers questions but performs tasks autonomously, like a true AI agent.
Challenges and Controversies: Navigating the AI Landscape
Perplexity’s meteoric rise hasn’t been without hurdles. The company has faced criticism from media giants like The New York Times and Forbes, who’ve accused it of scraping content without permission and violating copyrights. Aravind has responded by emphasizing that Perplexity “aggregates” rather than plagiarizes, and he’s launched a Publishers Program to share ad revenue with content creators. Additionally, investigations by Wired and others revealed that Perplexity may have bypassed robots.txt protocols, raising ethical questions about web scraping. Despite these challenges, Aravind remains focused on transparency, promising to improve user experience and address concerns head-on. His candid responses on platforms like Reddit show a leader who values feedback and strives to balance innovation with responsibility.
A Vision for India and Beyond: Inspiring the Next Generation
Aravind’s roots in India run deep, and he’s committed to giving back. In January 2025, he pledged $1 million and five hours a week to support a team developing open-source AI models in India, urging the country to build globally competitive AI, not just reuse existing models. Inspired by ISRO’s cost-effective achievements, he believes India can lead in AI innovation. He’s also working to make Perplexity’s Pro version free for Indian students, aiming for a million sign-ups. Drawing inspiration from Elon Musk’s perseverance and Sundar Pichai’s career, Aravind encourages young people to master AI tools over “doomscrolling” on social media, warning that adaptability is key in a job market increasingly shaped by AI. His story is a testament to the power of curiosity, hard work, and a vision to make knowledge accessible to all.
In just a few years, Aravind Srinivas has gone from a Chennai bus ride to leading a company that’s redefining search in the AI era. His journey reminds us that with passion and persistence, anyone can challenge the status quo and build something extraordinary.