Introduction: A 31-year-old disruptor joins the billionaire ranks
Aravind Srinivas, a Chennai-born tech entrepreneur, has rocketed into India’s entrepreneurial spotlight. At just 31, he earned a place on the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2025 as the country’s youngest billionaire, powered by his AI startup Perplexity. With a net worth reported at around Rs 21,190 crore, Srinivas’s ascent underscores how Indian AI talent is reshaping the global tech landscape and drawing attention from global giants.
Early life and elite education: A fascination with science from childhood
Born on June 7, 1994 in Chennai, Srinivas showed a keen curiosity for science early on. He pursued studies at IIT Madras, where he expanded his interests into reinforcement learning (RL) and advanced RL techniques, even teaching courses to peers. His academic journey continued abroad, culminating in a PhD in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, where his research spanned computer vision, contrastive learning, and transformer-based models for image generation and recognition. This strong foundation in AI research would later inform his entrepreneurial ventures.
From academia and industry stints to a bold startup
After building a robust research portfolio, Srinivas gained experience across leading global tech labs. He contributed to OpenAI on reinforcement learning research, then broadened his scope at DeepMind in London, focusing on contrastive learning. A stint at Google followed, where he worked on influential vision-model projects like HaloNet and ResNet-RS, strengthening his expertise in scalable AI systems. His journey then brought him back to OpenAI as a research scientist, contributing to the development of pivotal image-generation capabilities, including work that supported the evolution of DALL-E 2.
Perplexity AI: A breakthrough in AI-powered search
In August 2022, Srinivas co-founded Perplexity AI with partners who shared a vision to redefine how people obtain information. The startup leverages AI-driven, chat-based search to provide fast, precise, and reliable answers, competing with traditional search engines by delivering a more intuitive user experience. Perplexity’s rapid ascent, backed by a growing global user base, has positioned it as a key player in the AI-search arena. The firm’s early moves included strategic investments in other AI ventures, such as ElevenLabs (text-to-speech) and Suno (text-to-music), signaling a broader AI portfolio approach.
As Perplexity scales, Srinivas has discussed expanding the company’s footprint beyond core products. Plans include forming the Perplexity Fund to fuel strategic investments, and potentially establishing AI engineering hubs in Bengaluru or Hyderabad. He has also expressed interest in forming partnerships across travel, shopping, education, and healthcare—areas where AI can drive improved experiences and outcomes for users across India and beyond.
Why this matters: India’s rising AI leadership on the world stage
Srinivas’s recognition on the Hurun India Rich List 2025 reflects more than personal fortune; it marks a milestone in India’s AI ecosystem. While the Hurun list remains dominated at the top by established conglomerates, a 31-year-old founder building an AI-first company showcases India’s ability to produce homegrown unicorns that compete on the world stage. Perplexity’s trajectory also highlights the importance of AI research talent returning to, or staying in, India to contribute to product development, job creation, and investment inflows that can strengthen the domestic tech economy.
Looking ahead: Sustained growth and broader impact
Aravind Srinivas’s plans point to a broader vision for AI in India—one that blends cutting-edge research with practical applications that empower users and businesses alike. If his strategy to establish local AI teams and forge cross-sector partnerships comes to fruition, India could see a new wave of AI-enabled products and services that improve everyday experiences in travel, education, health, and beyond. The ongoing expansion of Perplexity and related AI ventures will be a telling indicator of how India harnesses its young talent to drive global tech leadership.
Conclusion: A defining moment for Indian AI entrepreneurship
Aravind Srinivas’s ascent to India’s youngest AI billionaire is not just a personal milestone; it signals a broader moment for Indian tech: a generation of innovators blending deep research with practical startup execution. As Perplexity and similar ventures scale, the world will watch how Indian founders convert advanced AI research into products that reshape how information is discovered and consumed, both in India and across the globe.
