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OpenAI is the Real Mafia Now
Move over, PayPal Mafia. The OpenAI Mafia has arrived.
Back in the early 2000s, the PayPal Mafia was legendary.
They were the Avengers of Silicon Valley.
Tesla, SpaceX, LinkedIn, YouTube, Yelp — and almost every billion-dollar company you can name — were founded or funded by PayPal ex-employees.
As the saying goes, history repeats itself.
And in fact, it’s happening right now, right in front of us.
Just like the PayPal Mafia shaped the Web2 era, the OpenAI Mafia is quietly shaping the next big thing: AI.
And the companies they’re building? Some are already worth $10 billion or more.
Perplexity — Aravind Srinivas
Aravind was one of the early employees of OpenAI.
At OpenAI, he worked as a research scientist. Today, he is building a company that is a direct competitor to Google’s core search business.
Perplexity might reach a $18B valued company any time soon.
