What happens when a tiny team challenges the king of search? Aravind Srinivas and his crew at Perplexity AI didn’t settle for more links, they built an “answer engine” that actually resolves your questions, sources included.

Speed, focus, and bold risks drove their growth and strategies like Ship when 80% ready, ignore pitch decks, and solve the trickiest real-world pain point. The idea? Out-run the slow, network-heavy giants with a fresh, user-driven product.

But what does it really take to challenge decades of dominance? Perplexity picked their battles—targeting Google’s core product, not its social or media networks. As AI reshapes how we seek knowledge, Srinivas’s approach raises big questions: Is better tech enough, or do giants always win in the end? why the answer isn’t simple.