Artificial Intelligence is advancing faster than most can keep up with, but Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath believes there's power in admitting what you don’t know.
“When you feel like an idiot, vocalize it, don't have to pretend to be smart...A curious idiot may be better than pretend-smart in the long run,” Kamath wrote in a recent post on X.
Kamath’s remark came after a deep-dive conversation with Perplexity AI co-founder Aravind Srinivas, where he tried to untangle the complexities of AI in a way even “dummies like Kamath” could understand.
It was a discussion that reaffirmed his belief — true intelligence isn’t about having all the answers, but about asking the right questions.
Srinivas, a former OpenAI researcher, shared his own path to success—from IIT to Berkeley to launching his own AI startup. “I genuinely enjoy learning things. My whole life has been about trying to do something that seemed pretty impossible.”
He credited his family’s support in shaping his journey: “I did all the work to study and do the exams, but my parents took care of everything else for me.”
His mother worked for the central government, while his father was a financial accountant. Coming from a non-engineering background, he became the first engineer in his extended family.
“There are so many times when you're not feeling the best about your chances, and you can’t always share those doubts with colleagues. But having that family support makes a difference.”
As a founder, he now leans on his wife for that same grounding force: “As a CEO, you have to appear like you have it all figured out, but you still need someone to lean on.” He emphasized the importance of a strong support system: “Sometimes when things are going well, you feel like you’re on top of the world. Someone has to bring you back to earth and say, ‘Hey, calm down. You have nothing figured out yet.’”