Who Is Aravind Srinivas?—Perplexity CEO Crowned India’s Youngest Billionaire

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas is India’s youngest billionaire, according to the Hurun India Rich List 2025. The 31-year-old has a wealth of Rs 21,190 crore. The list, created by Hurun India in partnership with M3M India, “chronicles India’s shift from a services-centric past to a deep-tech and product-led powerhouse.”

Aravind Srinivas is the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, an AI-driven search engine. Established in 2022, the company was founded by Srinivas in collaboration with Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats, and Johnny Ho.

31-year-old Srinivas was born in Chennai. He completed his undergraduate studies at IIT Madras before earning a PhD in computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. Before founding Perplexity, Srinivas gained significant experience in the AI and technology sectors.

He worked at Google and partnered with renowned AI expert Yoshua Bengio. These early career experiences played a crucial role in developing his knowledge of search and information retrieval technologies, which now form the core focus of his company’s objectives.

His PhD research, entitled "Representation Learning for Perception and Control," was conducted under the guidance of AI specialist Pieter Abbeel. The work centred on deep learning, reinforcement learning, and robotics, laying the foundation for his later advancements in the field of artificial intelligence.

Perplexity specialises in AI-driven search engines that provide immediate, conversational responses using up-to-date information, challenging conventional search models. Led by Srinivas, it has swiftly gained global prominence, securing substantial investment from leading investors. 

His vision prioritises accessibility, precision, and transparency in AI-powered search, establishing the platform as a reliable alternative to mainstream search engines while influencing the evolution of human-AI engagement.

Recently, Perplexity AI captured widespread attention by putting forward a $34.5 billion offer to purchase Google's Chrome browser. The whopping sum proposed in a letter of intent by Perplexity is nearly double the value of the startup, reported AFP.