A viral post about Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas’ struggles with the U.S. visa system has struck a chord with many immigrant tech workers. The executive, who previously sought help from Elon Musk regarding green card backlogs, has become a symbol of visa-related frustrations in the industry.
In an X post on Wednesday, a venture capitalist named Shivam Bhatia shared: “Was stressing over my visa this morning, then remembered this guy still doesn’t have a Green Card lol,” with a selfie of Srinivas and Bhatia.
Was stressing over my visa this morning, then remembered this guy still doesn’t have a Green Card lol. pic.twitter.com/D6J1oPQL8u
— Shivam (@shivambhatia42) January 29, 2025
In response, an X user said: “US needs an expedited green card process for exceptional talent. This is ridiculous.”
READ: AI startup Perplexity nears $9 billion valuation amid copyright lawsuits from publishers (November 6, 2024)
Another user said, “Kinda messed up that Aravind can’t get a green card after creating one of the leading AI companies in the bay area!!”
Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, an AI-powered search engine that has a Chat-GPT style user interface and generates answers using web sources and is a competitor to traditional search platforms like Google and Microsoft’s Bing.
Another X user commented: “If a $9bn valuation can’t sort your visa issues, what chance do the rest of us have?”
Launched in 2022, Perplexity quickly gained traction in the competitive AI market, attracting significant investor interest. Notable backers include Nvidia, Databricks, and Y Combinator’s Garry Tan. By 2023, Perplexity achieved a valuation nearing $9 billion, driven by its innovative search engine that combines multiple large language models to deliver accurate and rich responses. The platform reportedly receives 100 million queries weekly and generates around $50 million in annual revenue.
In December 2024, Srinivas took to X to say, “I think I should get a green card. Wdyt?” To this, billionaire tech entrepreneur Musk responded “Yes” on the social media platform, making the post garner a lot of attention and sparking hope in immigrants.
As of December 2023, the backlog for employment-based green cards in the United States has reached a record 1.8 million applicants, with approximately 1.1 million of these individuals being Indian nationals. This significant backlog has led to projections that over 400,000 Indian applicants may pass away before receiving their green cards, given the current wait times.
The Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, has highlighted that new Indian applicants face a lifetime wait for green cards. The institute’s analysis indicates that the employment-based green card backlog has reached unprecedented levels, exacerbating the challenges faced by highly skilled Indian professionals seeking permanent residency in the U.S.
READ: OpenAI hopes to hit 1 billion users with Apple partnership (December 3, 2024)
Srinivas shared his frustration over a three-year wait for his green card in a post on X, saying many people don’t realize how difficult and slow the U.S. immigration process can be.
After his post went viral, Musk responded, writing, “We have an upside-down system that makes it hard for highly talented people to come to America legally, but trivial for criminals to come here illegally. Why is it easier to get in illegally as a murderer than legally as a Nobel Laureate? Donald Trump & DOGE will fix this.”
We have an upside down system that makes it hard for highly talented people to come to America legally, but trivial for criminals to come here illegally.
Why is easier to get in illegally as a murderer than legally as a Nobel Laureate?@realDonaldTrump & DOGE will fix this. https://t.co/RgMGWeyX1X
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2024
In another post in 2023, Srinivas also shared how his experience aligns with some of Perplexity’s interview candidates:
candidate: “yea, i am super interested, but i have this green card thing in process, and it would be hard to leave, so i am not sure exactly how to proceed”
me: “tell me about it”.— Aravind Srinivas (@AravSrinivas) December 4, 2023
Srinivas’ experience highlights the long wait times and challenges faced by highly skilled workers seeking permanent residency in the U.S. Many in the tech sector see his journey as both a source of inspiration and a call for immigration reform.