Early Life and Background

Aravind Srinivas, the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, was born on June 7, 1994, in Chennai, India. Growing up in a middle-class family, his upbringing was strongly influenced by his mother’s dream of seeing him enter the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). This goal became the foundation of his academic journey and eventual success. His story reflects the journey of many Indian students whose determination and discipline propel them toward extraordinary achievements.

Education and Academic Excellence

Aravind Srinivas’s path to success began when he cleared the IIT entrance examination and secured admission at IIT Madras, where he pursued a dual degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) in Electrical Engineering. He graduated in 2017, leaving a strong academic track record.

Driven by curiosity and passion for artificial intelligence, Srinivas continued his academic journey in the United States. He enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where he pursued a Ph.D. in Computer Science under renowned AI professor Pieter Abbeel. His doctoral research focused on representation learning for perception and control, which laid the groundwork for his deep interest in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Early Career in Research and Technology

Before starting his own company, Aravind Srinivas gained hands-on experience at some of the world’s most prestigious technology and research institutions. His career highlights include:

• OpenAI – Worked on advanced AI projects and language models.
• Google Brain – Contributed to Google’s cutting-edge research in machine learning.
• DeepMind – Engaged in pioneering AI research at one of the world’s most respected labs.
• Google – Gained first-hand experience of how large-scale internet technologies and search systems operate.

Working alongside global AI leaders and researchers such as Yoshua Bengio gave him unmatched exposure to the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

The Birth of Perplexity AI

In 2022, Aravind Srinivas co-founded Perplexity AI along with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski. The company was built on the vision of reinventing search with the power of artificial intelligence.

Unlike traditional search engines, Perplexity AI provides real-time, conversational answers backed with citations, ensuring transparency and reliability. Within a short span, the company gained massive traction and positioned itself as a true challenger to Google Search.

By 2024, Perplexity AI had already achieved unicorn status, raising hundreds of millions of dollars from top global investors, including SoftBank, Nvidia, Jeff Bezos, and Nat Friedman. By mid-2025, the company’s valuation soared to nearly $18 billion, placing it among the fastest-growing AI startups in the world.

Major Achievements of Perplexity AI

• Unicorn Status: Reached multi-billion-dollar valuation within three years of launch.
• Strategic Partnerships: Partnered with Bharti Airtel to provide Perplexity Pro services to over 360 million users in India.
• AI-Powered Browser – Comet: Launched Comet, a Chromium-based browser that integrates AI features directly into the browsing experience.
• Global Recognition: Became one of the few companies positioned as a direct competitor to Google in the search ecosystem.

The Bold Google Chrome Bid

In August 2025, Aravind Srinivas shocked the tech world by making an audacious $34.5 billion all-cash offer to acquire Google Chrome, one of Google’s most important products with over 3 billion global users.

The bid, presented in the form of a formal letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, was unprecedented. While critics called it a publicity stunt, many analysts saw it as a strategic move to bring Perplexity AI into the spotlight during a time when Google was facing antitrust challenges in the U.S.

In his proposal, Srinivas promised to:

• Keep Chromium open-source.
• Retain Google as the default search engine on Chrome.
• Preserve most of Chrome’s existing staff.
• Invest an additional $3 billion over the next two years to ensure innovation.

Although Google has not accepted the offer, the bold move positioned Aravind Srinivas as a fearless leader unafraid of challenging tech giants.

Leadership Style and Vision

Aravind Srinivas is known for his philosophy of lifelong learning. During a talk at the Oxford Union, he remarked, “Education is not an event, you can learn forever.” This mindset reflects in the way he leads Perplexity—constantly adapting, innovating, and pushing boundaries.

He believes that AI-powered search is not just a tool but the future of knowledge access, and his company’s mission is to make information retrieval transparent, conversational, and accessible to all.

Net Worth and Investments

As of 2025, Aravind Srinivas’s personal net worth is estimated at $27 million (₹223 crore). Much of his wealth comes from his leadership role at Perplexity AI, which itself generates over $50 million in annual revenue.

Beyond his company, he has invested in several rising AI startups such as Cursor, Eleven Labs, Mistral, and Pika Labs, showing his commitment to nurturing the broader AI ecosystem.

Legacy in the Making

Aravind Srinivas’s story is one of ambition, courage, and vision. From fulfilling his mother’s IIT dream in Chennai to becoming the face of a billion-dollar AI company in Silicon Valley, he has established himself as one of the most influential young entrepreneurs in the world.

His audacious bid to buy Google Chrome may or may not succeed, but it has already cemented his reputation as a disruptive innovator who dares to challenge the biggest tech companies on the planet.

With Perplexity AI continuing to grow at an extraordinary pace, Aravind Srinivas is set to be remembered as one of the key figures shaping the future of artificial intelligence and internet search.

Conclusion

Aravind Srinivas’s journey—from a determined student in Chennai to a global AI leader—highlights the power of persistence, education, and visionary thinking. His story is not just about personal success but also about reshaping how the world interacts with technology.

As Perplexity AI continues to push boundaries, Aravind Srinivas stands as a symbol of the new generation of innovators driving the AI revolution.