Dmitry Shevelenko

The through-line

The public record here is thin: both appearances are represented only by publisher show notes, not by transcripts of Shevelenko's own words. What can be reported is limited to the topics the shows say he addressed, not verbatim positions. Across the two, a consistent shape emerges: his account of Perplexity centers on confronting Google as the incumbent to beat, and on the operational discipline of scaling a challenger fast, drawing on lessons from his own path into the company and from a startup he had closed before joining [1][2].

On taking on Google

The Times Tech Podcast frames a substantial part of the conversation around Perplexity's ambition to compete directly with Google, describing this as "taking on Google" and situating it alongside the founders' origins as AI researchers [1]. The same episode also touches on an incident involving Google's Gemini, which the show notes label "the Gemini disaster," and pairs it with a discussion of Perplexity "doing it differently" [1]. Because this is reported only through show notes, the specific content of what was said about the incident or the contrast being drawn cannot be stated as his own words, only that these were the subjects covered.

On his path into Perplexity

The same episode covers how Shevelenko found the company through Uber mafia connections, what he did professionally before Perplexity, the closing of his own startup, and his reasons for joining Perplexity afterward [1]. These are listed as discrete segments of the conversation rather than described in detail, so the substance of his reasoning is not available beyond the fact that career transition and the decision to join are recurring subjects he addresses when telling his own story [1].

On scaling and go-to-market strategy

Both appearances touch on growth and scaling. The Times Tech Podcast lists "hypergrowth lessons" and "the business model" as topics discussed [1], while the HubSpot interview is framed around Perplexity's go-to-market strategy and is described as showing how the company is "challenging tech giants with an innovative growth strategy" [2]. Together these indicate that scaling mechanics and competitive go-to-market thinking are subjects he returns to across venues, though the show notes do not preserve the specific arguments or frameworks he used to make his case [1][2].

Takeaways

• He discusses Perplexity's strategy for taking on Google as a core part of the company's story [1].
• His account of joining Perplexity includes Uber mafia connections, the founders' background as AI researchers, and the prior closing of his own startup [1].
• He addresses "hypergrowth lessons" and Perplexity's business model as topics in their own right [1].
• He discusses an incident involving Google's Gemini, described by the show as "the Gemini disaster," alongside a claim of doing things differently [1].
• Perplexity's go-to-market and scaling strategy against larger, established players is a recurring subject in his interviews [2].