'For my mom, just getting a job was enough': Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas

CHENNAI: Chennai-born Aravind Srinivas, founder and CEO of AI-powered search engine Perplexity AI, in an interview reflected on his journey from a lower middle-class family in India to leading one of the world's fastest-growing artificial intelligence startups.

Now based in San Francisco, California, Srinivas said his achievements had gone far beyond what he and his family had once imagined, recalling that landing a job at Google was once his only ambition.

Srinivas said his upbringing shaped the way he approaches risk and entrepreneurship, adding that he prefers taking bold bets instead of operating from a fear of failure.

"I have nothing to lose," Srinivas said, recalling how he his life has already turned out to be extraordinary.

Reflecting on his family's financial background, he said, "For my mom, just getting a job was success because we were financially lower middle class in India."

He added, "All I wanted was to get a job in Google. Being an engineer at Google was considered a win."

Srinivas said he now considers himself "remarkably successful" because he has already exceeded the ambitions his family once had for him.

Warning against becoming defensive after achieving success, the AI entrepreneur said many people focus too much on avoiding failure instead of pursuing bigger opportunities.

Adding to it, Srinivas said: "Go all in and try your best. Be on the offense. Attack, attack, attack."