US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti recently claimed that in modern times, one cannot become a CEO in America unless they are of Indian descent. Mr Garcetti's humorous quip came at the 2024 Indiaspora AI Summit at Stanford University recently.
"The successes have happened, more than one in 10 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies now are Indian immigrants who studied in the US. The old joke was you could not become a CEO in the US if you were Indian, now the joke is you cannot become a CEO in America if you are not Indian, whether it is Google, Microsoft or Starbucks, people have come and made a big difference," Mr Garcetti said.
Google and its parent organisation Alphabet Inc. are overseen by Sundar Pichai while operations at Microsoft and Starbucks are led by Satya Nadella and Laxman Narasimhan, respectively.
Speaking alongside Mr Garcetti, Indian-origin business leaders echoed similar sentiments while appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, particularly his role in positioning India as a global hub of innovation and progress.
"India is perceived very differently in the global space. It's a space of innovation. It's a space of human capital. It's a space of progress and innovation. And as we look forward, what Modi has been able to do is put India into the global map as a credible innovator, leader for all countries to invest in and grow," said Informatica CEO Amit Walia.
Similarly, Ashutosh Kulkarni, CEO of Elastic, commended PM Modi's government for its openness to innovation and industry, noting India's vast potential for progress. Navin Chaddha of Mayfield Fund hailed the "amazing" era under PM Modi's leadership.
The Indiaspora AI Summit, besides global tech tycoons, was also attended by Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu.
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