Last Updated:December 26, 2024, 16:01 IST

Trump appointed Indian-origin Sriram Krishnan as the Senior White House Policy Advisor for AI.

The immigration of Indians has emerged as one of the most debatable topics in the United States, particularly after the election of Donald Trump for a second term. Recently, the President-elect appointed Indian-origin Sriram Krishnan as the Senior White House Policy Advisor for AI. Many Americans opposed the move, claiming Sriram would use his power to promote immigration. Amid all the chaos, a senior executive of Perplexity AI has expressed gratitude to Indian-origin CEO Aravind Srinivas for creating job opportunities in the US.

The man, Dmitry Shevelenko, dropped a short note on X (formerly Twitter) where he hailed Srinivas for “creating 100+ American jobs”. “I’m an American who is gainfully employed because an Indian immigrant on a visa founded a company in the US. Thanks, Aravind Srinivas,” Shevelenko wrote.

The post garnered mixed reactions from the social media community. Some users criticised Dmitry Shevelenko for his remarks and questioned, “Why didn’t Srinivas open his company in India?”

Meanwhile, others felt talented individuals should be allowed to grow in any country irrespective of their origin. One such user commented, “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.”

Echoing the same sentiment, another said, “It will be safe to assume that America lost 100s of founders like Aravind if not 1000s in the last 25 years due to the existing skewed policy.”

A user argued, “Discussion is not about Indians, it is about Per Country CAP. Do not conflate.”

Another person raised questions on Dmitry Shevelenko’s origin and claimed, “You’re Ukrainian. Zelensky needs your presence back home. Nothing against you or him personally, but do you see how your argument is worthless?”

“Those who are feeling threatened by skilled immigration are hardly qualified enough to get a basic job,” quipped a user.

A far-right political activist, Laura Loomer, recently voiced her concerns over the use of H1B visas — meant for highly skilled workers living and working in the US. It also allows immigrants to receive green cards under certain conditions. “Our country was built by white Europeans, actually. Not third-world invaders from India,” Loomer wrote in a social media post.

Aravind Srinivas co-founded Perplexity AI in 2022 with Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats and Johnny Ho. He is currently the CEO of the technology firm. Srinivas graduated from IIT Madras and worked for OpenAI before starting his own business. He still works in the US on a visa. Recently, Elon Musk showed his support for Srinivas, saying he should be given a green card.