Senior American executive thanks IITian immigrant on visa for his job

Posted by Admin December 26, 2024 Jobs

Aravind Srinivas, the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, stands at the center of a broader conversation on the contributions of skilled immigrants to the United States. Chennai-born Srinivas, who graduated from IIT Madras and later did his PhD from University of California, Berkeley, worked at OpenAI before launching Perplexity AI in 2022. Dmitry Shevelenko, chief business officer at Perplexity AI, pointed to Srinivas’s contributions, noting that the company’s growth under his leadership has created over 100 American jobs. In a social media post, American executive Dmitry Shevelenko credited Indian immigrant Aravind Srinivas, founder of Perplexity AI, for creating 100+ U.S. jobs, including his, while working on a visa.

— dmitry140 (@dmitry140)

Who is Aravind Srinivas?

Despite his success, Aravind Srinivas continues to work on a visa and recently garnered attention for advocating a green card for himself, earning the support of Elon Musk. While Srinivas has lived in the U.S. for several years, his visa status serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by immigrants in America, despite contributing to the country’s technological and economic progress. His advocacy for a green card resonates with the broader community of skilled immigrants who seek recognition for their contributions. In a recent post, Aravind Srinivas said he has been waiting for my green card for last three years.

Aravind Srinivas is the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, an AI firm focused on providing quick answers to any query. With a strong background in research, he has worked at OpenAI, Google, and DeepMind. Srinivas holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UC Berkeley and a dual degree from IIT Madras. Perplexity AI, which has over 100 employees based in the U.S., is known for its conversational search engine that directly answers questions on any topic. It is supported by prominent investors such as Jeff Bezos, Yann LeCun, and Naval Ravikant.

The debate around immigration and skilled workers in the US reignited again this week when Indian-origin Sriram Krishnan who was appointed a Senior White House Policy Advisor for AI by President-elect Donald Trump. Since then Sriram Krishnan has become a target of far-right criticism.

Many activists questioned whether an immigrant could serve American interests, with Laura Loomer voicing strong opposition to H-1B visas and green cards for highly skilled workers. Her remarks, which claimed immigrants were taking jobs meant for Americans, found support among some online communities, especially those concerned about job competition in STEM fields.