‘We passed by IIT Madras on a bus, my mom would…’: Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas on growing up as a Chennai boy
Aravind Srinivas shared insights into his journey, from his mother’s unwavering belief in his IIT admission to skipping Bengaluru’s exploration due to traffic.
Perplexity co-founder Aravind Srinivas recently appeared on Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath's WTF Online podcast, where he spoke about his early influences, time in Bengaluru, and entry into the world of artificial intelligence.
Srinivas revealed that his mother had always envisioned him studying at IIT Madras. "Every time we would go on a bus and pass by the IIT Madras campus, my mom would point to the campus and say, ‘This is where you're going to study.’ It’s not even like you should study; this is where you're going to study. So that was the expectation," he recalled.
During a three-week internship in Bengaluru, Srinivas admitted he barely explored the city, choosing instead to stay indoors and work. He blamed the city’s notorious traffic for his decision.
"I think I was in this place called Koramangala... I didn't actually explore," he said, adding, "I just worked all the time. Now that I look back, I probably think I should have explored."
However, he had no regrets, considering Bengaluru’s congestion. "I remember the traffic being bad back then, and I hear it's even worse now. So, staying in and working was probably a smart move," he added.
AI journey and passion for work
Srinivas' interest in artificial intelligence was sparked by a Kaggle competition. "That was my entry into AI. It wasn't just about winning—it was about figuring out how machines learn from data," he explained.
He also emphasised his work ethic, stating, "I'm really proud of that." When asked why he pushes himself so hard, he responded, “I enjoy it. It’s not about chasing some goal to scale; it’s about what I love doing.”
During the podcast, Srinivas also recalled an intense discussion with AI researcher and podcaster Lex Fridman, who questioned him on neural networks, AI fundamentals, and Google's commercial strategy.
