A recent social media interaction between Elon Musk and Aravind Srinivas, the Indian-origin CEO of Perplexity AI, has captured widespread attention. Srinivas, who has been trying to secure a green card for the past three years, sought Musk’s opinion on his application status.
On X, formerly on Twitter, he asked, “I think I should get a green card. Wdyt?” While the tweet sparked numerous replies, Musk’s simple one-word response, “Yes,” led to a flurry of activity. Srinivas replied with red heart and folded hands emojis to show his gratitude.
Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine, is backed by several high-profile investors, including Jeff Bezos. Founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats, and Johnny Ho, the company is currently led by Srinivas as CEO.
An alumnus of IIT Madras, Srinivas went on to earn his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. He began his career as a research intern at OpenAI and later worked in similar roles at top tech companies like Google and DeepMind. Prior to co-founding Perplexity, he returned to OpenAI as a research scientist.
Notably, the exchange has ignited debates on immigration policies, AI leadership, and Musk’s interactions with global tech figures. While many praised his support for Srinivas, others criticized his broad comments on immigration.
For the unversed, this isn’t the first time SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has interacted with posts from Aravind Srinivas. Just days ago, he replied to the Indian-origin CEO’s post about his wait for a green card.
Musk commented, “We have an upside-down system that makes it hard for highly talented people to come to America legally, but trivial for criminals to enter illegally. Why is it easier to get in illegally as a murderer than legally as a Nobel Laureate? @realDonaldTrump and DOGE will fix this,” referring to the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
