Aravind Srinivas: From IIT Madras To Silicon Valley Billionaire At Just 31
Aravind Srinivas has become one of India’s most remarkable success stories. At just 31, the Chennai-born tech entrepreneur has entered the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2025 as the country’s youngest billionaire, with a net worth of ₹21,190 crore. The founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, he is now recognized globally for his work in artificial intelligence and his efforts to transform the future of search technology.
Born on 7 June 1994 in Chennai, Aravind Srinivas showed an early interest in technology. He was curious about how things worked, often experimenting with gadgets and exploring coding from a young age. After completing his undergraduate and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from IIT Madras, he pursued a PhD in Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focused on advanced areas like computer vision and reinforcement learning, laying the foundation for his future in AI.
Aravind Srinivas: Early Journey From Chennai To Global Tech Stage
During his academic journey, Srinivas also guided other students in emerging technologies, showing leadership potential early on. His career took shape at some of the world’s top tech institutions. He worked with OpenAI, DeepMind, and Google, contributing to major projects like reinforcement learning systems, vision models such as HaloNet and ResNet-RS, and even the text-to-image generator DALL·E 2. These experiences helped him build a strong foundation in cutting-edge AI development.
In 2022, Aravind Srinivas co-founded Perplexity AI along with Denis Yarats and Andy Konwinski. The platform offers a new approach to online search by providing accurate, referenced answers instead of endless search results. Under his leadership, Perplexity AI quickly gained global attention and is now expanding its user base rapidly in India. Srinivas has also announced plans to establish engineering hubs in Bengaluru or Hyderabad and explore partnerships in areas such as healthcare, education, travel, and retail.
Despite his wealth, Aravind Srinivas leads a balanced lifestyle. He splits his time between Silicon Valley and Chennai, drives a Tesla Model S Plaid, and enjoys collecting classic motorcycles. His focus remains on building technology and supporting innovation, especially in his home country.
Aravind Srinivas: Building Perplexity AI And Shaping India’s AI Future
India’s billionaire landscape is changing quickly, with many new names emerging from technology and entrepreneurship. The Hurun India Rich List 2025 reported 358 billionaires with a combined wealth of ₹167 lakh crore. Among them, Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani still hold the top spots, while self-made billionaires like Aravind Srinivas represent a new generation driving India’s digital and technological transformation.
🚨 Still think India can’t build global tech giants? Think again.
Meet Aravind Srinivas @AravSrinivas – born in Chennai, studied at IIT Madras, went on to earn his PhD at UC Berkeley, and co-founded @perplexity_ai in 2022.
At just 31, he is now India’s youngest billionaire,… pic.twitter.com/Hw3kX30JDH
— Ashish Kumar Meher (@AshishMeher7) October 4, 2025
Aravind Srinivas’s story is more than a tale of financial success. It reflects the growing global influence of Indian talent in artificial intelligence and deep technology. His journey from IIT Madras classrooms to Silicon Valley boardrooms shows how innovation and determination can lead to extraordinary achievements. Also Read: Sridhar Vembu’s Bold Vision: 5 Reasons Zoho Office Is Now Mandatory at Education Ministry
Conclusion:
At 31, Aravind Srinivas is not just a billionaire he is a symbol of India’s rising power in global technology. His work with Perplexity AI is shaping the future of search and AI, and his continued commitment to innovation promises an even greater impact in the years to come.
