American entrepreneur and investor Balaji Srinivasan has issued one of his starkest assessments yet of the road ahead for Indian technologists weighing a move to the United States. His argument rests on the shifting politics of American immigration and the broader turbulence of the country’s fiscal position. The message is directed at a generation of engineers, founders and investors who once saw the US as the most reliable launch pad for global careers.
“If you’re Indian, don’t move to America. Because the US left hates technocapitalists. And the US right wants no more immigrants,” he says. He links that political mood to the pressures of America’s rising debt burden, warning that “as the sovereign debt crisis worsens… it only gets worse. Possibly murderously worse.”
“If you’re Indian, don’t move to America. Because the US left hates technocapitalists. And the US right wants no more immigrants”
Balaji frames the choice facing Indian technologists as a practical reassessment rather than nostalgia for what the US offered in the past. “Indian immigrant technocapitalists need alternatives. And there are three options: India, Internet, and International.”
His first point focuses on economic momentum. “India itself is the world’s fastest growing economy, with the #1 growth rate in the world over the last 10 years. Every major company is investing in India. So you can do well in the Indian economy.” The remark taps into ongoing shifts in global supply chains, capital markets and manufacturing footprints that are giving India greater weight in technology and services.
His second argument turns to the digital economy. “The Internet is taking over from a fading NYSE/NASDAQ as the world’s largest capital market.” He cites the trend of founders and major firms shifting incorporation away from Delaware and the growing appeal of crypto-native ecosystems. “The decline of Delaware and NYC accelerate this; everyone from Elon to Elad Gil to a16z to Dropbox have moved out of Delaware for incorporation, and Mamdani is catalyzing a capital exodus to Miami.” For Indian technologists, he says, this marks a levelling moment. “Solana and Ethereum already put Indians on a level playing field with the entire world, with digital rule-of-law. No one can discriminate against you in a smart contract simply for being Indian, so you can do well in the Internet economy.”
His final option is geographic rather than digital. “At the exact moment that the US has stopped recruiting tech talent while India is generating enormous amounts of it, the rest of the world is opening their doors to digital nomads.” The shift is most visible in Asia and the Gulf. “Dozens of places from the UAE to Singapore have created many different kinds of talent visas. And so Indian technologists have begun rerouting there, especially to Dubai and Singapore. So that’s the third option: the International economy.”
Balaji says the global tide is turning toward Indian talent just as the US reduces its intake. With countries from the UAE to Singapore rolling out specialised visas, Indian technologists are increasingly routing their careers through Dubai, Singapore and the broader international economy
Balaji reiterated his warning: “Do not expect the US to suddenly become more friendly towards immigrant capitalists. The long-term financial outlook is not good, so America is unfortunately no longer a good place to build a stable life and a career. Which is why Americans themselves are in a zero-sum mentality.” He offers little expectation of a shift. “You can’t fix that.”
His message ended with direct advice for those weighing their next move. “Instead, if you’re an Indian technologist, rely only on TCP/IP rather than H-1B. And build yourself up in India, on the Internet, or internationally.”
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