The Journey of Indians to C-Suite Roles in Silicon Valley

Indians are increasingly ascending to C-suite roles in Silicon Valley, driven by their expertise, innovation, and leadership, significantly shaping the tech industry's future.

Indian-origin professionals have significantly impacted the tech industry in the United States, extending their influence beyond prominent CEOs like Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai. Individuals of Indian origin now hold many top-tier leadership positions or CXOs. For example, Apple’s senior vice president of operations, Sabih Khan, and Nvidia’s executive vice president of worldwide field operations, Jay Puri, are among those making waves. Similarly, Tesla’s chief financial officer, Vaibhav Taneja, and Google’s senior vice president, Prabhakar Raghavan, also hold influential roles. Noteworthy executives in other major companies include Meta’s vice president of machine learning, Sandeep Pandey, and Micron’s chief business officer, Sumit Sadana. Recently, Naga Chandrasekaran was appointed chief global operations officer at Intel, succeeding Keyvan Esfarjani, who retired after three decades with the company.

According to a recent impact report by Indiaspora in collaboration with BCG, approximately one-third of tech employees in Silicon Valley are of Indian origin. This substantial presence is further evidenced by Indian-origin CEOs leading 16 Fortune 500 companies, collectively employing 2.7 million Americans and generating nearly $1 trillion in revenue. Indiaspora’s forthcoming global business leaders list is expected to reveal around 115 Indian or Indian-origin executives managing large companies worldwide. In the United States and beyond, roles such as chief technology officer, chief data officer and chief information security officer are increasingly occupied by individuals of Indian descent.

Elon Musk praised Ashok Elluswamy, an Indian-origin robotics engineer at Tesla, for his critical role in developing Tesla’s Autopilot software and AI success. Elluswamy, who was Tesla’s first Autopilot team hire in 2021, was acknowledged by Musk for his invaluable contributions.

Despite constituting only 1.5 percent of the US population, the Indian American community is estimated to contribute 5 to 6 percent of the country’s income tax revenue, amounting to $250-300 billion. This economic impact extends beyond major corporations, with Indian Americans cofounding 72 of the 648 US unicorns operating in 2024. These startups, such as Cambridge Mobile Telematics and Solugen, employ over 55,000 people and are valued at $195 billion.

The success of the Indian American community is often attributed to various factors, including a strong focus on technical education and STEM fields. R Gopalakrishnan’s book, The Made in India Manager, identifies four key ingredients that contribute to the standout success of these leaders: a competitive upbringing, experience of personal setbacks leading to accelerated learning, a strong work ethic and fluency in English. Gopalakrishnan highlights the adaptability of Indians in various aspects, including linguistic and cultural adjustments.

The perception has shifted from the old belief that an Indian could not become a CEO in the US to the current view that not being Indian might be a disadvantage in reaching such positions. More than one in ten CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are now Indian immigrants who studied in the US.

Indian-American tech entrepreneur and academic Vivek Wadhwa attributed this trend to Indians' ability to assimilate and blend into diverse environments, leading to significant achievements across various fields. Indian Americans have become integral to Silicon Valley, contributing to their dominance in multiple sectors. This is a key factor in their widespread success, marking their significant presence in sectors across the United States.