Who is Aravind Srinivas, Indian-origin CEO backed by Elon Musk for a green card?

An Indian-origin CEO asked if he should get a green card. Billionaire businessman Elon Musk replied, “Yes”.

Aravind Srinivas, the Indian-origin CEO of AI search engine Perplexity AI, asked on X if he should get a green card. In a prior post, Srinivas shared that he has been waiting for this status for three years.

Billionaire entrepreneur and X owner Elon Musk responded with a simple “Yes.”

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A green card, formally known as a Permanent Resident Card, allows its holder to live and work permanently in the United States.

Elon Musk’s one-word reply to Srinivas

Srinivas, who has been waiting for his green card status for years, recently posted on X: “I think I should get a green card. Wdyt?”

Yes

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2024

Elon Musk, known for his concise yet impactful social media remarks, replied with a straightforward “Yes.”

Srinivas expressed his gratitude with two emojis: a red heart and folded hands. The brief exchange quickly went viral, drawing attention from fans and followers who joined the conversation.

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Who is Aravind Srinivas?

Srinivas is the co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, an AI-powered search engine backed by prominent investors, including Jeff Bezos. Founded in 2022, Perplexity was established by Srinivas alongside Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats, and Johnny Ho.

An alumnus of IIT Madras, Srinivas earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. He began his career as a research intern at OpenAI, later holding similar roles at major tech companies like Google and DeepMind.

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Before co-founding Perplexity AI, Srinivas returned to OpenAI as a research scientist.

Srinivas-Musk interactions

Notably, this is not the first time Musk and Srinivas have interacted on X. Just days earlier, Musk responded to Srinivas’s post about his prolonged wait for a green card.

Srinivas had posted, “I have been waiting for my green card for like the last 3 years. Still haven’t gotten it. People mostly have no idea when they talk about immigration.”

Musk replied, “We have an upside-down system that makes it difficult for highly skilled individuals to enter the U.S. legally, while it’s almost effortless for criminals to do so illegally. Why is it easier for a murderer to cross the border unlawfully than for a Nobel Laureate to enter legally? @realDonaldTrump and DOGE will fix this,” referencing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE),” referencing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

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

Srinivas’ post came amid a broader online conversation about the complexities of the US immigration process, started by Rohit Krishnan, the Chief Product Officer at bodo.ai.

Krishnan wrote, “One thing I find about the immigrants’ dialogue is how few of the people make it seem to know how hard it is to actually immigrate to this country. I’ve been an immigrant 3x now and the US was by far the longest and hardest it’s been.”

Last month, Srinivas shared his thoughts on improving the immigration process, suggesting a streamlined, tech-enabled system.

“Excited for Elon (Musk) and Vivek (Ramaswamy) to make legal immigration better. I would even push for a higher application fee (e.g. 2x) in exchange for high-quality fast service. Think about immigration to America as you investing in the country,” he posted.

“It should be as simple as you uploading documents from a mobile app, Apple Pay, interview scheduled in a week, and results arriving to you in a month.”

What is a green card?

A green card, officially termed a Permanent Resident Card, allows foreign nationals to live and work permanently in the United States.

Issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), it represents lawful permanent residency and grants holders a range of rights and privileges within the country.

Advantages of a green card

One of the key benefits of holding a green card is the right to permanent residency in the United States. Green card holders are free to work in any field or profession without restrictions, unlike temporary work visas that often tie individuals to specific employers or industries.

Green card holders are also eligible for social benefits such as Medicare, Social Security, and other government-sponsored programs. Further, they can travel in and out of the United States without needing extra visas or authorisations, offering convenience and mobility.

Netizens react to Srinivas’ post

Srinivas’ post about the challenges of obtaining a green card drew widespread attention, with many users sharing their frustrations about the long and complicated process.

One user wrote, “At minimum, the US should make EB-1A cap exempt / unlimited in number. Would at least go towards solving the issue that the small set of highly highly skilled people don’t need to wait irrespective of their country of birth.”

Aravind, the fact that you don't have one yet, just shows how broken the immigration system is. I'm hopeful 2025 will be the year.

— Dis-Trackted (@Dis_Trackted) December 14, 2024

“Aravind, the fact that you don’t have one yet, just shows how broken the immigration system is. I’m hopeful 2025 will be the year,” a second user posted.

Another wrote, “Why? You’ll have to pay a ton of taxes forever and the USD is about to collapse. The smart are denouncing their citizenships.”

With inputs from agencies