Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI – Leading the Future of Intelligent Search

Early Life & Education

Born on June 7, 1994, in Chennai (formerly Madras), India, Aravind Srinivas demonstrated a strong aptitude for mathematics and science early in life. He pursued a dual degree (B.Tech and M.Tech) in Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He later earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, under the guidance of noted AI researcher Pieter Abbeel. During his doctoral work, Srinivas focused on deep learning, reinforcement learning, and natural language processing.

Professional Journey

Srinivas gained experience at the forefront of AI research through roles at Google Brain, OpenAI, and DeepMind. His contributions during this period centered on scaling large language models and developing advanced machine learning systems.

In August 2022, Srinivas co-founded Perplexity AI with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski. The company’s mission: to revolutionize how people find and use information through an AI-powered “answer engine.” Perplexity distinguishes itself by delivering cited, concise, and conversational responses to queries—bridging the gap between traditional search engines and generative AI assistants.

Milestones & Achievements

Explosive Growth

Under Srinivas’s leadership as CEO, Perplexity AI quickly became one of the most-watched AI startups. By late 2024, the company had reached a $9 billion valuation after securing a $73.6 million Series B funding round.

Influential Recognition

In 2024, Time magazine included Srinivas in its TIME100 Most Influential People in AI, recognizing his visionary role in shaping next-generation search technologies.

Notable Investors

Perplexity’s backers include tech luminaries and institutions such as Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, Elad Gil, Nat Friedman, and Andreessen Horowitz, reinforcing its reputation as a serious contender in the AI space.

Innovations & Product Ecosystem

Perplexity Assistant (2025)

Launched in January 2025, the Perplexity Assistant expanded the company’s core search engine into a more interactive AI agent. Capable of retaining context across tasks and apps, the Assistant handles scheduling, summarization, and information synthesis—ushering in a new era of AI-driven productivity.

Comet Browser (Beta)

Introduced in mid-2025, the Comet Browser offers users real-time access to Perplexity’s answer engine in a side panel across any webpage. This agentic tool enables users to ask questions, summarize content, or get contextual information without leaving the page they're on.

Perplexity Labs

This internal research and development division has made significant breakthroughs, including a tool capable of drafting 98–99% of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) prospectus—a milestone in applying generative AI to regulated and high-stakes industries like finance.

Strategic Partnerships

• Motorola: Perplexity’s assistant is pre-installed on Motorola’s Razr Ultra phones, bringing generative AI search to the mobile hardware layer.
• PayPal: The two companies are collaborating to explore how AI can improve the e-commerce and payments experience.

Vision & Philosophy

Srinivas envisions a world where AI acts as a trusted partner—efficient, transparent, and reliable. He advocates for a "cited-by-default" approach to AI answers, which strengthens user trust by grounding responses in verifiable sources. His leadership reflects a belief in responsible innovation, user-first design, and the importance of building technology that augments, rather than replaces, human capability.

Aravind Srinivas’s journey from Chennai to Silicon Valley is a story of vision, precision, and bold innovation. As CEO of Perplexity AI, he is not only transforming how we search for information but also setting new standards in the development of transparent, high-utility AI systems. With a focus on accuracy, usability, and cutting-edge applications, Srinivas continues to lead Perplexity into the future of intelligent search.