No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups How do we go from search engines to answer engines? With Perplexity AI’s Aravind Srinivas and Denis Yarats
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Mar 23, 2023 
Aravind Srinivas, Co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI and former OpenAI research scientist, along with Denis Yarats, Co-founder and CTO with a machine learning background from Facebook AI, discuss the future of search. They explain how their startup aims to transform traditional search engines into conversational answer engines. Topics include the importance of rapid iteration in tech, innovative hiring practices, and navigating the shift from academia to industry in AI. Their insights reveal a vision for more intuitive and trustworthy digital information retrieval.
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Early Perplexity Idea
- Aravind Srinivas and Elad Gil discussed visual search engines early on, but Gil advised focusing on distribution.
- This led to Perplexity AI's focus on text-based search and answer engines.
Startup Advantages and Hiring
- Prioritize iteration speed to beat incumbents as a startup.
- Find people with a burning desire to work in AI, not just experience.
Perplexity's Hiring Process
- Perplexity AI prioritizes hiring people with a strong desire to work with LLMs over extensive experience.
- Trial periods are crucial for assessing alignment and work ethic.