Meet Aravind Srinivas, IIT graduate, Perplexity AI CEO, who worked at Google, OpenAI, once challenged Elon Musk over...

Aravind Srinivas, the India-born CEO of Perplexity AI, is making waves in the world of artificial intelligence. Recently, he sparked discussions online when he responded to a social media user who revealed spending more time on Perplexity AI than on Instagram.

A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared a screenshot of their screen time, showing 1 hour 43 minutes spent on Perplexity AI compared to just 50 minutes on Instagram. They asked Srinivas how he felt about this shift in usage. In response, Srinivas took a dig at the Meta-owned platform, saying, "Good for the world for people to spend more time on Perplexity than Instagram."

His comment highlights a growing trend where people are turning to AI-driven platforms for information rather than traditional social media. Perplexity AI, which Srinivas co-founded in 2022, is an AI-powered search engine that provides direct answers using advanced language models and web sources. 

Who is Aravind Srinivas?

Aravind Srinivas is the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, an AI search engine backed by major investors, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. His journey into artificial intelligence began with a strong academic foundation.

Born in India, Srinivas studied electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, earning both bachelor's and master’s degrees. He then pursued a PhD in Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, where his interest in AI deepened. During this period, he gained hands-on experience through research internships at leading AI firms. He worked at OpenAI for four months, followed by a five-month stint at DeepMind and a year at Google.

After completing his PhD, Srinivas returned to OpenAI in 2021 as a research scientist. A year later, in August 2022, he co-founded Perplexity AI along with Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats, and Johnny Ho. The company describes itself as "the world’s first generally available conversational answer engine."

Perplexity AI has quickly gained attention as a reliable alternative to traditional search engines, offering instant, AI-generated responses. With growing interest in AI and a shift in user behaviour, Srinivas’s company is positioning itself as a key player in the future of online search.

Beyond his role at Perplexity, Srinivas is also an angel investor, supporting various AI startups since 2023. His contributions to the AI field continue to shape how people seek and consume information in the digital age.

Challenged Elon Musk

He once challenged Elon Musk to "stop" him if he can from raising a mammoth sum from the federal agency. "Considering raising $500B from USAID. Funding secured. Stop me if you can @elonmusk What is USAID?" he posted on X. It came days after US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk called for shutting down the federal agency.