For Indians, Silicon Valley’s lure is fading with AI layoffs and immigration crackdown

This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West.

Every month, at least two to three Indian-origin AI researchers in Silicon Valley between the ages of 25 and 35 reach out to Aakrit Vaish, founder of AI venture fund Activate, asking, “How can I come back to India and work in AI?”

As we spoke, the Mumbai-based executive explained that Indian startups are hoping to capture top talent and capitalise on this precise moment in time.

For decades, a big tech job has been the North Star for India’s elite tech workers, offering unmatched prestige, compensation, and a ticket to global mobility.

Now, a combination of layoffs spurred by AI and Trump’s tightening immigration policies is reducing the once-unquestioned appeal of Silicon Valley giants. Meanwhile, Indian AI jobs are evolving beyond back-end roles.

An early-stage AI company in India pays 50%-75% of what Microsoft, Google, or Meta pays for an equivalent role, but getting a foot in the door sooner comes with lucrative stock option plans and performance-linked incentives, Vaish said.

“A lot of people are willing to take that sort of 50% sacrifice today for the greater pot at the end,” Vaish said.

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