By Abhinisha Ramasaamy
In just three years since its founding in 2022, Perplexity AI has evolved from a startup idea into a technology powerhouse valued at over $18 billion. Today, it stands as one of the strongest challengers to OpenAI’s ChatGPT in the rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence.
Unlike traditional search engines that present long lists of links, Perplexity positions itself as an “answer engine,” delivering clear, concise, and well-sourced responses directly to the user. This innovative approach is reshaping how people search for and consume information online, making knowledge more accessible to students, researchers, professionals, and policymakers alike.
Perplexity’s meteoric rise has caught the attention of global leaders in technology, business, and politics. In December 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Perplexity AI’s co-founder and CEO, Aravind Srinivas, in New Delhi.
Their conversation focused on India’s role in the global AI revolution, the opportunities for young innovators, and how advanced AI tools like Perplexity could transform education, governance, healthcare, and economic growth. For Aravind, it was a symbolic moment — an Indian entrepreneur making a global impact, recognized by the highest office in the country.
The meeting also reflected India’s ambition not just to adopt AI, but to actively shape its future.
Born on June 7, 1994, in Chennai, Aravind Srinivas grew up fascinated by technology, often dismantling electronic devices to understand how they worked.
In 2012, he joined IIT Madras for a dual degree in Electrical Engineering, earning both his B.Tech and M.Tech by 2017. Determined to push the boundaries of his knowledge, he moved to the United States for a Ph.D. in Computer Science at UC Berkeley, graduating in 2021.
Before launching his own company, Aravind gained experience at some of the world’s leading AI research labs — OpenAI, DeepMind, and Google Brain — where he explored cutting-edge machine learning systems and grappled with the challenges of making AI both powerful and responsible.
In 2022, Aravind co-founded Perplexity AI with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski. Their mission was ambitious yet simple: “To make search smarter and more transparent.”
By focusing on clarity, accuracy, and sourcing, Perplexity set itself apart from the opaque algorithms of conventional search engines. Recognition followed swiftly. In 2024, TIME magazine named Aravind among its “TIME100 Most Influential People in AI,” acknowledging not only his technical achievements but also his commitment to ethical and transparent AI.
As Perplexity grew, it faced criticism from publishers and media houses concerned about how AI systems used their content. Aravind’s response was a revenue-sharing model that compensated creators while maintaining the platform’s ability to provide quick, accurate answers.
This solution showcased his ability to balance innovation with fairness — a rare trait in the competitive tech world.
In his public talks, Aravind often warns young founders:
“Big Tech will copy anything that’s good. The only way forward is resilience, originality, and continuous improvement.”
Despite leading a billion-dollar company, he still describes himself as “always a student” — a reminder that humility and curiosity are as important as ambition.
From taking apart gadgets in Chennai to meeting the Prime Minister of India, Aravind Srinivas’s journey proves that innovation, when driven by integrity and purpose, can transcend borders and influence global progress.
His story is a testament to the idea that better questions — and better answers — can truly change the world.