Who is Aravind Srinivas, Indian-origin CEO who challenged Elon Musk over USAID

Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI, is an Indian-origin engineer with a PhD in computer science from University of California, Berkeley.

Published on: Feb 10, 2025, 10:57:13 IST

By HT News Desk

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Indian-origin CEO of artificial intelligence firm Perplexity AI, Aravind Srinivas, challenged billionaire Elon Musk a few days back to stop him from raising funding from United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a stunt that made him appear in headlines all over the world.

Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, did his engineering from IIT Madras. (File) (AFP)

The challenge came after USAID faced an unprecedented shutdown days after President Donald Trump labelled the agency “corrupt.”

"Considering raising $500B from USAID. Funding secured. Stop me if you can @elonmusk," he wrote a post on X.

Who is Aravind Srinivas

Aravind Srinivas is an Indian-origin engineer and entrepreneur who is the CEO and cofounder of Perplexity, an artificial intelligence-powered search engine which he describes as “fastest way to get answers to any questions”.

Aravind did his engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, earning his bachelor and master of technology degrees in electrical engineering. He then went on to earn a doctorate degree, a PhD in Computer Science from the reputed University of California, Berkeley. This is also when Aravind’s interest in artificial intelligence surged and he had a four-month stint as a research intern at OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT.

He then worked as a research intern at DeepMind, another artificial intelligence firm, for five months followed by a similar stint at Google for a year.

Aravind returned to OpenAI in 2021 after his PhD to work as a Research Scientist this time for a year, after which, he went on to cofound Perplexity in August 2022. He cofounded the firm with Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats, and Johnny Ho and says that Perplexity AI has “built the world's first generally available conversational answer engine that directly answers questions about any topic”.

The firm is backed by several big investors, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Aravind himself is also an angel investor who has invested in many AI firms since 2023.

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HT News Desk
Follow the latest breaking news, major developments and agenda-setting stories from India and around the world with the newsdesk at Hindustan Times. Operating round the clock, the desk brings together experienced editors, reporters and correspondents to deliver fast, accurate and contextual reporting across subjects that influence public policy, governance, business, society and international affairs. The HT News Desk covers politics, elections, government policies, the economy, business and markets, science and technology, the environment, law and order, infrastructure, education, climate issues and geopolitics, while closely tracking developments across states, institutions and global capitals. The team also leads coverage of major breaking news events, policy announcements, court proceedings, natural disasters, public emergencies and significant international developments. Reports published by the newsdesk are based on information gathered from reporters on the ground, official statements, government agencies, court records, regulatory filings, recognised institutions and other authoritative sources. Stories undergo editorial scrutiny and verification processes to ensure accuracy, fairness and relevance, and are updated as events evolve and additional information becomes available. Whether covering a key political decision in New Delhi, an economic policy shift affecting millions, a landmark court ruling or a major global event, the HT News Desk aims to provide readers with reliable, fact-based journalism that delivers not only the latest developments but also the context and analysis needed to understand their wider implications.Read More

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