In a bid to expand its operations in India, Perplexity AI, a rising rival to Google in the search industry, is actively seeking a candidate to help grow its presence in the country. The announcement was made by the company’s CEO and co-founder Aravind Srinivas on January 11, 2025, who shared that the role would offer an exciting yet demanding opportunity to build the AI-driven search startup in India.
Srinivas, in a LinkedIn post, emphasized the fast-paced nature of the job, referring to it as a “scrappy startup mode” position, and called for candidates based in India who are willing to travel and engage with strategic partners and institutions. Interested candidates are encouraged to send their resumes and a brief email highlighting their achievements to india@perplexity.ai.
This job listing follows a recent visit to India by Srinivas, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the potential for AI adoption in India and the world. Srinivas, an IIT Madras graduate, is optimistic about the growing AI landscape in India and its role in shaping the future of technology.
Perplexity AI, founded in December 2022, has quickly made its mark in the competitive AI search engine space. The company’s main product is an “answer engine,” which uses cutting-edge AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic to provide direct, detailed answers to user queries, complete with citations and links to trusted sources such as news outlets, academic papers, and blogs. With over 10 million active users worldwide, Perplexity AI has made a significant impact on the search market, competing directly with tech giants like Google.
Backed by high-profile investors, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke, and chip giant Nvidia, Perplexity AI raised over $500 million in its latest funding round, which brought the company’s valuation to a substantial $9 billion. Despite these successes, the company faces ongoing challenges, including lawsuits from major publishers such as The New York Post and Dow Jones. These publishers have accused Perplexity of copyright infringement, claiming the company crawled their websites without permission and reproduced news articles verbatim. Other entities, such as The New York Times and Condé Nast, have also sent cease-and-desist letters over similar concerns.
Perplexity AI’s innovative approach to the search engine landscape has positioned it as a formidable contender to Google, leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance user experience by delivering more direct, concise, and credible answers. As the company looks to extend its reach into India, it is poised to tap into the country’s growing demand for AI-powered solutions, making it a key player in the global AI search ecosystem.
The move to recruit a key person to lead its Indian operations indicates Perplexity’s long-term vision for the market, where AI and search technology are expected to play an increasingly central role. As the company continues to scale and refine its offerings, the next phase of its expansion will focus on leveraging India’s vast potential for AI adoption and innovation.
With its ambitious plans for growth and development in the Indian market, Perplexity AI is positioning itself at the forefront of the AI-driven search revolution, challenging traditional search engine models and reshaping the way information is accessed online.