When the world thinks of search, Google is the name that comes to mind. But in an age of generative AI, one quiet researcher from India decided to challenge that dominance — not with ads or algorithms, but with trust. Aravind Srinivas, the founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, is leading a new era of discovery, one that values curiosity and credibility over clicks.
His story isn’t about chasing scale — it’s about reimagining how the world finds truth in a sea of information.
From IIT Dreams to Silicon Valley Reality
Aravind Srinivas grew up in Chennai, India, in a family that placed education at the center of everything. His mother dreamed of seeing him at the Indian Institute of Technology, and he delivered — earning his spot at IIT Madras, where he began to explore his passion for mathematics and machine learning.
After completing his PhD at UC Berkeley, Srinivas spent time as a researcher at OpenAI and DeepMind, where he witnessed firsthand how large models were transforming how people interacted with knowledge. But while most of Silicon Valley was racing to build bigger models, he saw a different opportunity: make AI useful, transparent, and reliable for everyone.
The Spark Behind Perplexity AI
In 2022, Srinivas co-founded Perplexity AI, a startup that redefines what a search engine could be. Instead of endless lists of links, Perplexity delivers direct, cited answers — blending AI reasoning with human context. It’s like having a conversation with a researcher who always shows their sources.
The product quickly gained attention for its honesty and clarity. By 2025, Perplexity AI had become one of the fastest-growing AI platforms in the world, valued at over $18 billion and trusted by millions of users seeking answers, not ads.
“Information should be an experience, not an overload.”
— Aravind Srinivas, in an interview with The Times of India
Why His Vision Matters
In an internet flooded with misinformation, Srinivas’s focus on truthful discovery feels revolutionary. While Big Tech competes for attention, Perplexity AI is competing for trust — a shift that could redefine how people interact with knowledge itself.
His philosophy is simple: the search engine of the future won’t just find answers — it will understand questions.
A New Standard for AI Transparency
What makes Perplexity AI unique isn’t just its technology, but its culture. Srinivas built his company around research transparency, where every response is backed by clear sources and citations. That approach resonates with academics, journalists, and enterprise users who want AI they can verify — not just believe.
The company’s open, no-ads model is also a direct challenge to the ad-driven web, showing that ethical AI can still be scalable and profitable.
Leadership Grounded in Curiosity
Despite his growing profile, Srinivas remains remarkably humble — more researcher than celebrity CEO. He often credits his team and the open-source community for pushing AI toward usefulness rather than hype.
His leadership style blends academic rigor with entrepreneurial urgency, making him one of the few founders bridging the worlds of science and business with ease.
What’s Next
Perplexity AI continues to expand globally, building specialized engines for education, enterprise, and scientific research. Its mission — to make information transparent, contextual, and universally accessible — is now shaping how the next generation of AI search will evolve.
Takeaway: Aravind Srinivas isn’t just building another AI company — he’s restoring humanity’s relationship with truth. Through Perplexity AI, he’s reminding the world that the greatest innovation often begins with a simple question: How can we know better?