Why Indian tech talent still chooses US: Deedy Das flags billion

“The economic incentives at least for technologists to being in the US outweigh India by at least an order of magnitude,” Das wrote, arguing that the financial opportunities available in the US can be roughly ten times greater.

His assessment comes amid a continuing debate over whether India's brightest engineers and founders should stay back and build businesses at home rather than move abroad.

Indian-origin founders build billion-dollar startups

Das cited several US-based technology companies with at least one Indian-born founder, including Perplexity, Skild AI, Baseten, Together AI, Glean, Rubrik, Harness, Greptile, CodeRabbit and Composio.

The valuations he cited included Perplexity at $20 billion, Skild AI at more than $14 billion, Baseten at $13 billion, Together AI and Glean at $8 billion each, and Rubrik at $25 billion.

For Das, these companies illustrate how Indian-origin entrepreneurs have leveraged the US startup ecosystem to build businesses with substantial global reach and valuations.

He argued that raising capital is easier in the US, where founders can potentially secure larger investments while giving up a smaller equity stake. This can help entrepreneurs retain more ownership as their businesses grow.

Das also said Indian companies are increasingly shifting their corporate domicile to access US capital markets, while Indian venture capital firms are looking to invest in the US to participate in the AI boom.

US startup valuations dwarf India's biggest outcomes

Das contrasted Indian startup Zomato, which he cited at a valuation of around $35 billion against approximately $8 billion at its IPO, with global technology companies such as Cursor, Reflection, World Labs, OpenRouter and Hugging Face.

He cited valuations of $60 billion for Cursor, a potential $20 billion or more for Reflection, $8 billion each for World Labs and OpenRouter, and $12 billion for Hugging Face. He also pointed to the trillion-dollar-plus valuations of major AI companies.

The figures reflect valuations cited in Das's posts and are not necessarily directly comparable market measures.

His broader argument is that US technology companies can scale rapidly, creating substantial wealth for founders, investors and employees in a shorter period.

Why $1 million tech compensation matters

Compensation is another factor in Das's comparison. He said engineers at some high-growth US startups can earn around $1 million annually and make more than $10 million through an exit.

He also pointed to senior employees at major technology companies, arguing that professionals at L6 and L7 levels or above, with roughly a decade of experience, can earn around $1 million a year in total compensation.

Such packages typically include stock-based compensation and bonuses, not just base salaries, and are not representative of the average technology worker. Equity-related gains also depend on company performance and the ability to sell shares.

Nevertheless, Das argued that the potential for high earnings and substantial equity gains makes the US particularly attractive to experienced engineers and founders.

Das pushed back against arguments that high Indian salaries offer comparable financial advantages because living costs are lower.

Responding to the purchasing power parity (PPP) argument, he said earning ₹50 lakh a year in Whitefield, Bengaluru, does not necessarily outweigh the career and wealth-building opportunities available in the US.

His point was that salary comparisons alone overlook access to global markets, senior leadership roles, startup equity and the potential scale of business outcomes.

However, the comparison also depends on taxes, healthcare expenses, living costs, immigration status and individual career prospects. High US compensation is not guaranteed, just as substantial wealth creation is possible in India.

Immigration hurdles have not changed the US equation

Das acknowledged that US immigration has become more difficult and that more Indians want to stay in India. He also recognised that the country offers strong opportunities for founders, engineers and academics.

“Yes, immigration is harder than it's ever been,” he wrote, adding that there are “plenty of phenomenal opportunities in India” and that people can build substantial wealth there.

Yet he maintained that the US continues to offer greater economic incentives on average, pointing to the presence of Indian-origin CEOs and senior executives across American companies.

India benefits from a large talent pool, a growing startup ecosystem and comparatively lower operating costs in several areas. Building in the US, meanwhile, can offer access to deeper capital markets, global customers and potentially higher compensation.