Speaker Spotlight: Aravind Srinivas – Co-founding CEO of Perplexity AI

Aravind Srinivas is an Indian computer scientist and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, a company leading the way in conversational search technologies. With a strong academic and research background in artificial intelligence, Srinivas has been at the forefront of building AI systems that make information discovery faster, more intuitive, and accessible to everyone. Under his leadership, Perplexity AI has become a standout name in the AI space, offering users a new way to interact with search engines—one that’s rooted in conversation, context, and clarity.

Aravind Srinivas’ Key Career Achievements:

• 2023 – Angel Investor for the likes of Cursor, Eleven Labs, Cognition Labs & Mistral
• 2022 – Co-Founder & CEO of Perlexity
• 2021 – Research Scientist for OpenAI
• 2020 – Research Intern on Transformers for Vision, SoTA Vision Models & Augmentation for Google
• 2019 – Research Intern on Large-Scale Contrastive Learning for DeepMind
• 2018 – Research Intern on Policy Gradient Algorithms for OpenAI

Aravind Srinivas’ Biography:

Aravind Srinivas is a leading expert in artificial intelligence, best known as the CEO and co-founder of Perplexity AI, a company at the forefront of conversational search. His work is transforming how people access information online, with a focus on building technology that provides clear, cited answers to any question—instantly and accurately.

Aravind began his academic journey in India, earning dual degrees, B.Tech and M.Tech, in Electrical Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Madras. Driven by a deep interest in machine learning, he went on to pursue a PhD in Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, where he specialised in deep learning, vision models, and natural language processing.

Before launching Perplexity AI in 2022, Aravind gained extensive experience working at some of the most influential AI organisations in the world. He was a Research Intern at DeepMind in 2019, where he contributed to large-scale contrastive learning methods. In 2020, he joined Google as a Research Intern focused on transformer models for vision tasks. In 2018 and again in 2021, he worked with OpenAI—first as an intern working on policy gradient algorithms, and later as a full-time Research Scientist. These roles shaped his expertise in state-of-the-art AI systems and positioned him as a thought leader in the field.

Perplexity AI, which he co-founded with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, has quickly emerged as a groundbreaking force in AI-powered search. Their “answer engine” aims to change how we search for information by delivering direct, cited, and conversational responses, unlike traditional search engines. Backed by top tech leaders including Jeff Bezos, Yann LeCun, and Andrej Karpathy, the company’s mission is bold: to become the most knowledge-centric company in the world.

In recognition of his work, Aravind was named one of the TIME100 Most Influential People in AI in 2024. Today, he continues to lead Perplexity’s vision while speaking publicly on the future of AI, the role of conversational interfaces, and the need for trusted, verifiable information. With a career rooted in deep research and real-world innovation, Aravind Srinivas is widely respected as an expert in AI—shaping how the next generation will interact with knowledge.

Aravind Srinivas as a Keynote Speaker:

Aravind Srinivas is a sought-after keynote speaker known for his clarity, vision, and deep understanding of artificial intelligence. As the CEO and co-founder of Perplexity AI, he brings frontline insights into the future of AI, search, and the internet. His speaking style is direct and engaging, making complex ideas accessible to both technical and business audiences.

Aravind has previously delivered the TEDx Talk, How AI Will Answer Questions We Haven’t Thought to Ask – Watch below!

He has appeared on the Lex Fridman Podcast, where he discussed the evolution of search engines, the role of conversational AI, and the broader implications of AI for humanity. At Y Combinator, he spoke about what it takes to build transformative technology companies and how to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of innovation. In 2025, Aravind was invited to speak in a fireside chat at the Harvard Business School Entrepreneur Summit and took part in a thought-provoking panel at the India Business Conference at the Kellogg School of Management. He also participated in a Q&A session for the Harvard Innovation Labs, sharing insights on the future of AI and its impact on startups and society.

Aravind was also invited to speak to the Oxford Union, watch below as he speaks about his upbringing, education and what people need to do to earn similar success to him.

With a rare combination of deep technical expertise and startup experience, Aravind Srinivas is the kind of speaker who inspires, challenges, and informs—making him a standout choice for forward-thinking business and tech events.

At his official speaking engagements, Aravind has been known to share his expertise on the following topics:

• Revolutionising the Future of Search
• The Future of AI
• The Race to Build Agentic Search
• Winning Search with AI

Hire an Expert Artificial Intelligence Speaker Today!

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