Aravind Srinivas on June 16, 2025 at AI Startup School in San Francisco.
Aravind Srinivas started Perplexity with one goal: to rethink how we search, browse, and interact with information online. In this conversation, he shares the journey from hacking together a natural-language-to-SQL search tool to building a product used by millions around the world.
He talks about the big bet on the AI-powered browser, why agents—not just chatbots—are the next step, and how speed, accuracy, and focus help a startup compete against giants. Along the way, he reflects on co-founder dynamics, early technical challenges, and what it takes to keep building when the biggest players in the world are racing alongside you.
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Chapters:
00:48 – Perplexity’s Current Status and Challenges
01:16 – The Browser Bet
03:18 – Competition and Market Dynamics
04:43 – The Importance of Speed and Innovation
05:51 – Founding Perplexity: The Early Days
09:18 – Product Evolution and User Experience
19:44 – Running the Company and Future Outlook
20:15 – AI Tools in Software Engineering
20:31 – Adoption and Implementation of AI Coding Tools
21:11 – Challenges and Benefits of AI in Development
22:35 – Brand Value and Competition
23:56 – Network Effects and Integrations
27:40 – Business Model and Revenue Streams
29:54 – Advice for Founders
31:33 – Audience Q&A
