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Perplexity founder Aravind Srinivas-backed Astra shuts shop on cofounder differences - The Economic Times

Economic Times

Economic Times · 25d ago

Perplexity founder Aravind Srinivas-backed Astra shuts shop on cofounder differences - The Economic Times

Astra, a SaaS startup backed by Perplexity founder Aravind Srinivas, has shut down due to cofounder differences. The startup aimed to automate account executive activities using an AI-powered sales analytics platform and had onboarded two enterprise clients during its beta phase. Challenges included building trust with enterprise clients amid an AI agent surge. Cofounder Supreet Hegde cited differences with Ranjan Rajagopalan as the reason for closure, while Rajagopalan reportedly works on a new stealth-mode startup.

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Google hiked employee's offer by 4 times after he said he'll join us: Perplexity AI CEO

Hindustan Times Tech

Hindustan Times Tech · 1y ago

Google hiked employee's offer by 4 times after he said he'll join us: Perplexity AI CEO

Perplexity AI's Co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas recently revealed that Google raised an employee's offer to retain him. "There was one amazing candidate that I tried to recruit from Google...The moment he told them that he's gonna join us, they quadrupled his offer," Srinivas said. The employee, who is a part of Google's Search team, still works there, he added.

Perplexity plans to raise up to $1 bn at $18 bn valuation

Inshorts · 5m ago

Perplexity plans to raise up to $1 bn at $18 bn valuation

Perplexity AI is in early talks to raise up to $1 billion in funding at $18 billion valuation, Bloomberg reported. This new funding round could potentially double the AI startup's valuation from $9 billion as of December. Led by CEO Aravind Srinivas, the startup is backed by NVIDIA, Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos and Japan's SoftBank Group.

Nikhil Kamath and Perplexity's Aravind Srinivas spark a tweet thread that could shake up India’s stock market updates - The Economic Times

Economic Times

Economic Times · 14d ago

Nikhil Kamath and Perplexity's Aravind Srinivas spark a tweet thread that could shake up India’s stock market updates - The Economic Times

Zerodha cofounder Nikhil Kamath and Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas are discussing a collaboration to integrate Indian stock market data into Perplexity’s AI-powered browser, Comet. With Zerodha's extensive user base and Perplexity's real-time capabilities, this partnership could revolutionize how investors access market data. Although no formal agreement exists yet, a scheduled call hints at serious talks, suggesting a potential groundbreaking collaboration for investors accessing real-time financial information.

Nandan Nilekani wrong about pushing India to ignore model training skills: Perplexity CEO

YourStory

YourStory · 7m ago

Nandan Nilekani wrong about pushing India to ignore model training skills: Perplexity CEO

Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI, disagrees with Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani's view that Indian AI efforts should focus on building applications over training models. Srinivas insists that both model training and application development are crucial, arguing against solely using existing models. Nilekani advocated for practical AI applications, suggesting India leverage existing large models rather than developing new ones. Srinivas encourages India to build and train competitive models independently, highlighting potential global competitiveness.

Who is IIT Madras alumnus Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI?

Twitter · 1y ago

Who is IIT Madras alumnus Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI?

Aravind Srinivas, whose US-based search startup Perplexity AI has become a unicorn after raising $62.7 million from Jeff Bezos and others, holds a dual degree in electrical engineering from IIT Madras. He completed his PhD in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. Srinivas worked with OpenAI and Google before co-founding Perplexity AI in 2022.

'Google hiked employee's offer by 4 times after he decided to join us': Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas

IndianStartupNews

IndianStartupNews · 1y ago

'Google hiked employee's offer by 4 times after he decided to join us': Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas

Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas revealed in a podcast that when he tried to hire a Google employee, the tech giant quadrupled the employee's salary to convince him to stay. In a video shared by the podcast host Alex Kantrowitz on X (formerly Twitter), Srinivas shared his experience of Google's competitive retention tactics. Netizens found the story intriguing, sparking discussions about Google's salary practices and its approach to retaining talented employees.

Google could kill Perplexity, but didn't: Aravind on AI startups

Inshorts · 4m ago

Google could kill Perplexity, but didn't: Aravind on AI startups

On being asked whether AI startups will be taken over by tech giants, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said, "Google had two years to kill Perplexity and it hasn't". He added that Google's dependence on advertising revenue obstructs its adoption of full-scale AI-generated responses. In an apparent dig at Google, Aravind said, "If AI gave...direct answers...then...how can you sell Ticketmaster ads?"

IIT Madras students and staff to get free access to Perplexity AI's Pro version

YourStory

YourStory · 7m ago

IIT Madras students and staff to get free access to Perplexity AI's Pro version

Students, faculty, and staff at IIT Madras now have free access to the Pro version of Perplexity AI, a conversational search engine, announced by founder and IIT Madras alumnus Aravind Srinivas. This collaboration aims to enhance research tools and AI capabilities for students. The Pro version, typically costing $20 monthly, offers advanced features like over 300 daily searches, AI model access, and unlimited file analysis. Srinivas emphasized his commitment to supporting his alma mater.

Perplexity's Indian CEO says 'I must get green card', Musk agrees

Inshorts · 8m ago

Perplexity's Indian CEO says 'I must get green card', Musk agrees

US-based Perplexity AI's Indian-origin CEO Aravind Srinivas posted on X saying, "I think I should get a green card" in the US and asked users what they think about it. Replying to Srinivas' post, X CEO Elon Musk said, "Yes." Srinivas had said in October that he has been waiting for his green card for three years.

Perplexity's Founder Was Inspired by Sundar Pichai. Now They’re Competing to Reinvent Search

Wired · 1y ago

Perplexity's Founder Was Inspired by Sundar Pichai. Now They’re Competing to Reinvent Search

Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of Perplexity AI, credits Google CEO Sundar Pichai for inspiring him to start eating eggs. Srinivas, a vegetarian from India, saw a video of Pichai casually describing his morning routine, which included eating an omelet. This small interaction sparked admiration and later turned into rivalry as Srinivas grew in his career. He eventually joined Google as a research intern and later co-founded Perplexity, a search engine powered by generative AI that aims to disrupt Google's dominance. Perplexity has raised $100 million in funding and boasts 15 million active users. Srinivas sees a chance to compete with Google by leveraging AI technology developed by other companies like OpenAI and Meta. However, Perplexity's biggest challenge is gaining user awareness and trust. Srinivas envisions a future where Perplexity could incorporate advertising but with better targeting enabled by generative AI.

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