Perplexity AI: Humanizing Technology Through the STEAM Pillars

From glimmering dreams in Chennai to boardrooms in San Francisco, the story of Perplexity AI and its founder, Aravind Srinivas, reads like a modern fable on the power of human collaboration and aspiration. Aravind’s vision for Perplexity didn’t begin with an algorithm—it began with his mother’s voice, urging him to aim for IIT Madras as she pointed to its gates. That formative insistence on reaching for greatness fueled Srinivas’s pursuit of knowledge across IIT Madras, UC Berkeley, and top labs like Open AI, Deep Mind and Google Brain, where he honed his conviction: technology should serve to enhance what’s most human about us: creativity, cognition, complex problem-solving, and our extraordinary ability to connect with others.

Founded in August 2022 with fellow engineers Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, Perplexity aimed to break the mold of traditional search engines. Srinivas was frustrated with how conventional search offered link lists, not real answers. He envisioned a platform that would deliver direct, contextual, and well-cited answers to any question - a true answer engine.

In the competitive race dominated by giants like Google and OpenAI, Perplexity was the bold new kid on the block, determined to make knowledge actionable and accessible for all. Their ascent was astonishing. Perplexity became a unicorn in 2024, valued at $1 billion, then soared to $14 billion by mid-2025, powered by relentless innovation and strategic vision. But what truly set Perplexity apart wasn’t just technical horsepower; it was a steadfast commitment to STEAM - the blending of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Augmented by the very human pillars of creativity, cognition, concentration, and social intelligence.

Nowhere was this people-first approach clearer than in its groundbreaking collaboration with Airtel in 2025. Instead of fencing off its technology for a privileged few, Perplexity gave free Pro access, worth ₹17,000 annually to over 360 million Airtel customers across India.

For students in small towns, homemakers in villages, and professionals in the heart of India’s cities, Perplexity became a creative partner, a problem-solving coach, and a social connector. This partnership did more than boost scale or revenue; it democratized access to AI, fostered teamwork and digital fluency at a national scale, and set a global example for “technology as social infrastructure”.

Aravind believes the ultimate edge in a world flooded with automation will not be rote skills but the uniquely human traits nurtured by STEAM: “People who are creative problem-solvers and can unite others will shine in this new era,” he often says. Perplexity’s features, conversational answers, transparent citations, and collaborative Spaces, don’t just teach facts. They encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and communication. The Airtel alliance, meanwhile, embodies the STEAM pillar of social and people skills: two ambitious organizations sharing knowledge, breaking access barriers, and amplifying collective capability.

In the frenetic business race for AI supremacy, Perplexity’s story stands out as proof that success depends not only on the brilliance of code, but on compassion, vision, and the courage to build with and for people. It is a living model of STEAM in action: bold, integrative, and resolutely human.

References

1. "Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas: The boy who turned his mother's IIT dream into a billion-dollar AI company," Times of India, July 2025.

2. "Founder Story: Aravind Srinivas of Perplexity AI," Frederick AI, Feb 2025.

3. "How Aravind Srinivas turned Perplexity AI into an $18 billion powerhouse," Fortune, July 2025.

4. "Perplexity AI," Wikipedia, July 2025.

5. "Aravind Srinivas," Wikipedia, May 2025.

6. "Perplexity's Aravind Srinivas on the Infinite Value of Knowledge," Stanford GSB, June 2025.