The CEO of Perplexity shares the Mantra inspired by Elon Musk who helped him build $ 9 billion opponent in Openai

• The CEO of the perplexity of the beginning of AI, Aravind Srinivas, admits He used the first days of Elon Musk and Spacex, when the billionaire refused to give up even after the rockets exploded, as a source of inspiration for his career. “It’s just over when you think it’s over,” Srinivas He tells Harvard’s students.

Starting a new technology company is not a walk in the park. For Aravind Srinivas, co -founder and CEO of PerplexityBets could not be higher.

The AI ​​search engine starting company now has a value of more than $ 9 billion and fight against newspaper heads in a Google -dominated field and Openai. However, Srinivas recently revealed that his secret to keeping themselves is simply to believe in yourself, even when others are not.

“It’s just over when you think it’s over,” Srinivas told the students of Harvard Business School Entrepreneurship Summit. “Until then, you can always find a way. No matter how much it feels right now, it is just over when you give up.”

Admitted that part of this inspiration came Elon Muskbefore he was in the political landscape.

“I never give up,” said the richest person in the world 60 minutes In 2012. “Should be dead or completely incapacitated.”

Although Srinivas taking Musk’s words may seem topical, it works. Perplexity is one of the fastest growing startups in the world. Was valued at about $ 1 billion In March last year, and in December, he had grown up. According to CNBCThe company is even in talks to raise money with $ 18 billion.

Fortune He contacted Srinivas for comments.

Tips to attract the attention of investors: forget the roof of the pitch and do

In his journey as a millennial businessman in the perplexity building, or, as he says, the “fastest way to get answers to any questions,” Srinivas says that seeing others fighting soon has been a huge help.

“In a startup, when you have an initial group of people, the first thing you need to do is only iterate and do something,” he said. “I have seen many founders spend at least six months to a year in the maze of the idea that is going and they are nowhere.”

In the world of software, developing a product as soon as possible should be the main objective of businessmen, he added.

Once you have a demonstration to show the investors, to roof He becomes obsolete, admitting that he would not even create one, despite his company less than three years old.

From co -workers to competitors

Openai can be one of the greatest competitors of perplexity, but the two growth powerful are nothing better, in part thanks to Srinivas and Sam Altman once they are called co -workers.

Srinivas began his career as an intern of Openai research and has largely maintained a kind relationship with his former head. In February, Altman Published Ax To Srinivas: “Keep cooking there! Prudeu -you of you.”

The two are far from the only technological leaders to start the company behind Chatgpt, with some Now alludes to Openai As a current version of the PayPal Mafia. Ilya Sutskever, Openai’s former scientist, now manages the safe superintelligence of $ 30 billion. Dario and Daniela Amodei, brothers co -founders Anthropic—The company of $ 61 million behind Claude, are also called Openai alumni.

This story originally presented to Fortune.com