‘Can’t Become CEO In US If You Are Not Indian’: US Envoy Eric Garcetti’s Quip At AI Summit – News18

The US envoy to India Eric Garcetti in a humorous quip said that the tables have turned and now one cannot become a CEO in the US unless they are of Indian origin. Eric Garcetti made the statement during 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,” Garcetti said.

Tech giants like Google and its parent organisation Alphabet Inc, Microsoft, beverage retailing company and global coffee chain Starbucks are led by Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella and Laxman Narasimhan, respectively.

Several Indian-origin business leaders who were also attending the event agreed with Garcetti and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for 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,” Informatica CEO Amit Walia was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The CEO of Elastic, a data analytics company that provides search-powered solutions, Ash Kulkarni said PM Modi and his government are open to innovation and industry, powering India’s vast potential for progress, while Navin Chaddha of Mayfield Fund said PM Modi’s leadership has ushered an “amazing” era for India.

Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu also attended the Indiaspora AI Summit along with the global tech tycoons.