Meet man who studied in IIT Madras, did internship with Google, OpenAI, Elon Musk is his supporter, now he owns..

Aravind Srinivas, a Chennai-born Indian-American computer scientist and entrepreneur, is quickly making a name for himself in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). He is the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, an AI-driven search engine that has gained support from major investors, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. His journey from a young tech enthusiast in India to leading an innovative AI company in the U.S. is truly inspiring.

Born on June 7, 1994, in Chennai, India, Srinivas had a strong interest in science and technology from an early age. He pursued a dual degree in Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras and graduated in 2017. Later, he went on to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, further deepening his expertise in AI.

Srinivas started his career with internships at some of the biggest names in tech, including OpenAI, Google, and DeepMind. After completing his Ph.D., he returned to OpenAI as a Research Scientist, where he played a key role in developing AI technologies like DALL-E 2, an advanced image generation tool.

In 2022, he co-founded Perplexity AI along with Andy Konwinski, Dennis Yarats, and Johnny Ho. The company uses AI to enhance search experiences, making information retrieval more efficient and accurate. Thanks to its groundbreaking approach, Perplexity AI has attracted significant investments, including backing from Jeff Bezos.

Apart from running Perplexity AI, Srinivas is also an angel investor, helping startups like ElevenLabs and Suno grow. His career has been influenced by tech industry leaders such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

In early 2025, Srinivas and his company Perplexity AI gained widespread attention for their involvement in a proposed merger with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. The plan involves creating a U.S.-based holding company, NewCo, which would take over TikTok’s American operations. The deal suggests that the U.S. government could potentially own a 50% stake in the new entity after a $300 billion IPO, while ByteDance would still control TikTok’s core algorithms. This initiative is seen as a move to address U.S. national security concerns over TikTok’s data policies. If successful, the merger could position Srinivas as a major leader in the global tech and social media industries.

In December 2024, Srinivas shared his frustration on social media about waiting for three years to get a U.S. Green Card. His post gained attention when Elon Musk responded with a simple “Yes.” Srinivas replied with a heartfelt emoji, highlighting the difficulties many immigrants face when trying to secure permanent residency in the U.S.

With his expertise and growing influence, Aravind Srinivas is on track to make a lasting impact in the fields of AI and technology worldwide.