Srinivas’ remarks and the subsequent reaction underscore the challenges skilled immigrants face in pursuing permanent residency in the U.S. Despite the substantial contributions many immigrants bring to the economy and society, the arduous and often lengthy journey to secure legal residency remains a significant hurdle
Perplexity AI’s Indian-origin CEO, Aravind Srinivas, recently spoke out about the prolonged wait times for green cards in the U.S., sparking significant online discussion, reported hindustantimes.com.
His comment came as a response to a social media post by Rohit Krishnan, Chief Product Officer at bodo.ai, who highlighted the challenging journey immigrants face in navigating the U.S. immigration system.
In his post, Krishnan expressed frustration over the complex U.S. immigration process, noting the significant efforts required for skilled immigrants to secure residency. “I’ve been an immigrant three times now, and the U.S. was by far the longest and hardest,” Krishnan wrote, pointing out how few people recognize the difficulty of becoming a legal resident. He added that many talented individuals hesitate to pursue U.S. residency due to the burdensome process.
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Aravind Srinivas’ impressive academic and professional background underlines the frustration many skilled immigrants feel about prolonged wait times
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A graduate of IIT Madras with dual B.Tech and M.Tech degrees in Electrical Engineering, he also holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley
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His career includes notable roles as a research intern at OpenAI under Sam Altman, and similar roles at Deepmind and Google. In 2022, Srinivas co-founded Perplexity AI after rejoining OpenAI as a research scientist in 2021
Adding his own experience, Srinivas responded, “I have been waiting for my green card for the last 3 years. Still haven’t gotten it. People mostly have no idea when they talk about immigration.” His comment quickly resonated with a wide audience, with users across social media platforms expressing similar sentiments about long delays and bureaucratic challenges in obtaining green cards.
Several social media users weighed in on Srinivas’ experience. One joked about the irony of using Perplexity AI’s tools to search for green card and immigration-related information. Another user lamented that Srinivas, given his professional contributions to the U.S., still faces such a long wait. Others shared personal stories of navigating the immigration system, detailing how they spent years in the process, often facing restrictive employment conditions due to visa requirements.
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