In 2022, Aravind Srinivas, a graduate of UC Berkeley and IIT Madras, co-founded Perplexity AI.
An American executive has recently expressed gratitude towards the Indian-origin Chief Executive Officer of Perplexity AI, stating that his job owes much to Mr. Aravind Srinivas. Dmitry Shevelenko Chief Business Officer at Perplexity AI attributed that fact, too, to Srinivas, who has opened over 100 employment opportunities in the US – including his own – albeit on a visa. All this comes amidst a raging debate on immigration in the US and highlights how immigrant entrepreneurs fuel much of the economy and jobs in the US.
“An American employed in the US because an immigrant Indian on a visa set up a company. Thanks to @AravSrinivas for creating more than 100 American jobs,” wrote Mr Shevelenko on X.
Specifically, Aravind Srinivas, an alumnus of IIT Madras and UC Berkeley, co-founded Perplexity AI in 2022. The company has since then been recognized for its AI-driven search engine and attracted investments from some noticeable names like Jeff Bezos. Despite his accomplishments, Srinivas has struggled with getting a US green card which highlights the systemic problems in the immigration process. Even eminent personalities like Elon Musk have voiced their opinion for the facilitation of better entry and retention in the US.
The post brought a flurry of mixed reactions on social media. While many put words of appreciation for the acknowledgement of Mr Srinivas’s contributions, others criticized Shevelenko, while some others questioned how Mr Srinivas did not set up his company in India but instead in the USA. Many others came in defense of Mr Shevelenko’s sentiments, reasoned that talented people should be free to grow and give to whichever country they like, irrespective of their place of origin.
A user also voiced that, “Let builders build in America. Where you are born doesn’t matter, where you choose to build does. We need to keep attracting the top talent to continue to grow our economy.” Another put it this way, “And guess what, he’s STILL ON A VISA, while fresh grads who came after him have green cards. Thanks to ANTI AMERICAN DEI country QUOTAS.”
One more remarked, “It is safe to assume that in the 25 years that have passed, America has lost hundreds- if not thousands- of such founders as the aforementioned Aravind, due to the present skewed policy.” A fourth added, “I wish he had this opportunity in India whereby any Indian could have posted this lovely message.”
