US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Indian-American entrepreneur and venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as the senior White House policy adviser on artificial intelligence (AI). In a statement, Trump said Krishnan would shape and coordinate AI policy across the government. His work entails “working with the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.” The 78-year-old also mentioned Krishnan’s career, particularly his accomplishments as a founding member of Microsoft’s Windows Azure team.

I am pleased to announce the brilliant Team that will be working in conjunction with our White House A.I. & Crypto Czar, David O. Sacks. Together, we will unleash scientific breakthroughs, ensure America’s technological dominance, and usher in a Golden Age of American Innovation!…

— Trump Posts on ???? (@trump_repost) December 22, 2024

Mr Krishnan, sharing his excitement, said he would collaborate with David O. Sacks, the former COO of PayPal, the White House AI & Crypto Czar.

???????? I’m honored to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with @DavidSacks.

Thank you @realDonaldTrump for this opportunity. pic.twitter.com/kw1n0IKK2a

— Sriram Krishnan (@sriramk) December 22, 2024

5 key points about Sriram Krishnan:

1) Sriram Krishnan was born in Chennai, and he completed his BTech in Information Technology from SRM Engineering College in Kattankulathur, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. He moved to the US in 2005 at the age of 21. His father worked in insurance, and his mother was a homemaker.

2) Mr Krishnan’s journey in the tech world began at Microsoft in 2005. He also led product teams at Twitter, Yahoo!, Facebook and Snap. He developed mobile ad products during his tenure at Facebook (now Meta) and Snap.

3) He shares a professional bond with billionaire Elon Musk, who is also a part of Trump 2.0. Mr Krishnan worked with Musk to revamp Twitter (now X) after its acquisition in 2022. The entrepreneur has also been an advocate for leveraging technology to solve challenges between AI-driven models, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and large internet platforms.

4) In February 2021, Krishnan became a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a venture capital firm. By 2023, he was leading the company’s London office. Krishnan left the organisation in November 2023.

5) He also gained recognition in 2021 as host of the podcast ‘The Aarthi and Sriram Show’ (formerly known as ‘The Good Time Show’). Mr Krishnan works on it with his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy.