On July 17, 2025, Aravind Srinivas continues to make headlines as a brilliant Indian-origin entrepreneur and computer scientist. He is the CEO and co-founder of Perplexity AI, a company changing how people search for information online. Aravind’s story is inspiring. He grew up in Chennai, India, and became a leader in artificial intelligence (AI). His journey shows how hard work and passion can lead to big success. This article tells his story in simple words. It covers his early life, education, career, and achievements. Let’s dive into the life of this young visionary.
Early Life And Family
Aravind Srinivas was born on June 7, 1994, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He grew up in a middle-class family. His mother worked for the central government. His father was a financial accountant. Aravind was the first engineer in his extended family. This was a big deal for them. As a child, he loved science and math. He was curious and always asked questions. His family saw his talent early. They supported his dreams. Aravind worked hard in school. He wanted to make his parents proud. His love for learning shaped his future.
In school, Aravind was a bright student. He won many awards. He got the National Talent Search (NTS) scholarship from the Government of India. He also received the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana scholarship. This was from the Department of Science and Technology. He even won a merit award at the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad. These achievements showed his talent. But Aravind faced challenges too. He dreamed of studying computer science at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). However, he did not get into the computer science program. Instead, he joined electrical engineering at IIT Madras. This disappointed him. He felt sad and even went into depression. But he did not give up.
Education
At IIT Madras, Aravind studied hard. He earned a dual degree in electrical engineering. This means he got both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. During his studies, he became interested in machine learning. This is a part of AI where computers learn from data. A professor named Balaraman Ravindran encouraged him. Aravind’s friends in computer science also helped him learn. He studied topics like reinforcement learning and transfer learning. These are complex ideas in AI. His hard work paid off. In 2015, he won the IUSSTF-Viterbi Program Fellowship. This allowed him to study in the United States. Aravind’s journey was just beginning.
Aravind Srinivas Age, Wikipedia, Biography, Education, Net Worth, Wife, Family
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Aravind Srinivas |
| Date of Birth | June 7, 1994 |
| Place of Birth | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Family Background | Mother: Central government job; Father: Financial accountant; First engineer in extended family |
| Early Life | Loved science and math; Curious; Supported by family |
| School Achievements | NTS scholarship; KVPY scholarship; Indian National Mathematical Olympiad merit award |
| Education | IIT Madras: Dual degree in Electrical Engineering; UC Berkeley: PhD in Computer Science (started 2017) |
| Challenges | Didn’t get into IIT CS; Faced depression, stayed determined |
| Key Academic Interests | Machine learning, Reinforcement learning, Transfer learning, Computer vision, Transformers |
| Fellowship | IUSSTF-Viterbi Program Fellowship (2015) |
| Career Highlights | 2018: OpenAI intern (reinforcement learning); 2019: DeepMind intern (contrastive learning); 2020: Google (HaloNet, ResNet-RS); 2021: OpenAI (DALL-E 2) |
| Perplexity AI | Co-founded August 2022; CEO; $9B value (2024); $25M raised 2023; Investors: Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, others; 230M questions/month |
| Achievements | Built Perplexity AI; Published AI research; Worked on DALL-E 2 |
| Investments | Angel investor since 2023; Invested in ElevenLabs, Suno, Pika, Julius |
| Challenges in the U.S. | Waiting 3 years for green card; Suggested immigration improvements on X (2024) |
| Inspiration | Inspired by Sundar Pichai; Read 'In the Plex' |
| Notable Public Moment | Joked about raising $500B from USAID (2025); Reply from Elon Musk, viral moment |
| Net Worth (2025) | $30-32 million (₹225-270 crore) |
| Personal Traits | Curious, hardworking, humble; Cares about inspiring youth; Private about personal life |
| Vision | Information should be easy and accurate; Encourage curiosity via Perplexity; Support young AI entrepreneurs |
After IIT Madras, Aravind moved to the United States. He joined the University of California, Berkeley, for his PhD in computer science. This was in 2017. At Berkeley, he worked on exciting AI projects. He studied computer vision, which helps computers understand images. He also worked on transformers, a technology used in AI models. His research was about making computers smarter. He wanted them to understand images and videos better. Aravind’s work was impressive. He wrote many research papers. These papers are still used by other scientists today.
Career Highlights
While studying, Aravind got a chance to work at big companies. In 2018, he joined OpenAI as a research intern. OpenAI is a famous AI company. It created ChatGPT. Aravind worked on reinforcement learning problems. He helped computers make better decisions. In 2019, he worked at DeepMind in London. DeepMind is owned by Google. There, he focused on contrastive learning. This helps computers compare images to learn better. In 2020, he joined Google. He worked on vision models like HaloNet and ResNet-RS. These models help computers see and understand pictures. Aravind learned a lot from these experiences.
In 2021, Aravind returned to OpenAI as a research scientist. He worked on a project called DALL-E 2. This is a tool that creates images from text. For example, if you say “a robot learning a language,” it can draw a picture of it. Aravind’s work on DALL-E 2 was groundbreaking. It showed how AI can be creative. He shared some of these images on social media. People were amazed. His time at OpenAI was special. It inspired him to start his own company. Aravind wanted to build something big.
Perplexity AI
In August 2022, Aravind co-founded Perplexity AI. He started it with three friends: Denis Yarats, Andy Konwinski, and Johnny Ho. Perplexity AI is different from other search engines. It does not just show links like Google. Instead, it gives direct answers to questions. It uses AI models like GPT-4 and its own technology called Sonar. Perplexity AI also shows where it gets its information. This makes it trustworthy. The company grew fast. In 2023, it raised $25 million in funding. By 2024, its value reached $9 billion. Big names like Jeff Bezos and Nvidia invested in it. Aravind’s dream was coming true.
Perplexity AI is now a big name in the AI world. It answers over 230 million questions every month. People use it to learn about many topics. Aravind wants Perplexity to help people stay curious. He believes AI should make learning fun. His company is challenging giants like Google and ChatGPT. Aravind’s vision is clear. He wants to make information easy to find. He also wants to make it accurate. Perplexity AI is changing how we use the internet.
Aravind is not just a CEO. He is also an angel investor. Since 2023, he has supported new AI companies. He invested in ElevenLabs, which makes text-to-speech tools. He also backed Suno, a company that creates music from text. Other investments include Pika and Julius. These companies are building exciting AI tools. Aravind wants to help young entrepreneurs. He knows how hard it is to start a company. His support is helping the AI world grow.
Faced Challenges
Aravind’s journey has not been easy. He faced challenges in the U.S. immigration system. He has been waiting for a green card for three years. A green card lets someone live and work in the U.S. permanently. In 2024, he asked on X if he should get one. Elon Musk, a famous billionaire, replied, “Yes.” This created a big buzz online. Aravind also suggested ways to improve the immigration process. He said it should be faster and use technology like mobile apps. His ideas show he cares about others facing the same problem.
Aravind is inspired by Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google. Both grew up in Chennai. Aravind admires how Pichai changed Google. He read a book about Google called *In the Plex*. It made him love search technology even more. Aravind does not want to beat Google. He just wants to make search better. If even 1% of Google’s users try Perplexity, he will be happy. His respect for Pichai shows his humble nature.
In 2025, Aravind made headlines again. He joked on X about raising $500 billion from USAID. This was a playful challenge to Elon Musk. USAID is a U.S. agency that helps other countries. Some people thought Aravind was bold. Others thought it was risky. The post went viral. It showed Aravind’s fearless side. He is not afraid to speak his mind. This moment made him even more famous.
Personal Life
Aravind’s personal life is private. He does not share much about his family. He focuses on his work and ideas. His net worth is around $30-32 million, or ₹225-270 crore. This is a lot for a 31-year-old. If Perplexity grows more, his wealth could increase. But Aravind cares more about his work than money. He wants to make the world smarter. He also wants to inspire young people in India.
Aravind Srinivas is a true visionary. He started with a dream in Chennai. He faced setbacks but never gave up. His work at IIT Madras, Berkeley, and big AI companies shaped him. Now, as the CEO of Perplexity AI, he is changing the world. His story teaches us to stay curious. It shows that hard work can beat any challenge. Aravind is a role model for young Indians. He proves that anyone can achieve big things with passion and effort. His journey is far from over. The world is watching what he does next.