Perplexity AI sets sights on India with major hiring push

Perplexity AI, the artificial intelligence-powered search startup, is seeking to hire a key candidate to spearhead its expansion efforts in India. The role, announced by cofounder and CEO Aravind Srinivas on LinkedIn, calls for a candidate to be based in India, work within the fast-paced startup environment, and engage in travel to meet strategic partners and institutions.

This move comes as the company continues to experience impressive growth, with over a million users in India alone. This surge in adoption highlights the increasing popularity of Perplexity AI's services, which have captured significant attention in the tech world.

Founded in August 2022 by Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, Perplexity AI launched its answer engine in December of the same year. The startup has since garnered significant financial backing, recently securing a $500 million funding round that has tripled its valuation to an impressive $9 billion.

Notable investors include Nvidia, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), and Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke. As Srinivas told Moneycontrol recently, the company aims to see its user base in India grow exponentially, driven by the country’s vast population. “We want that number to expand to like 10-100X more,” he remarked.

Perplexity AI’s answer engine, which directly competes with industry giants like Google and Microsoft, now serves more than 10 million active users worldwide.

Srinivas also spotlighted the strong awareness of generative AI among the Indian public, citing the widespread recognition of platforms like ChatGPT and the creative applications emerging from users across the country.

"The movement in India will likely outpace previous technological revolutions, like the web and mobile shifts, where we were a bit behind," he added, expressing optimism about the accelerating pace of AI adoption in the country.