AT A GLANCE: Twitter, Microsoft, Google… tech giants run by Indian-born CEOs

After Jack Dorsey stepped down as chief executive officer (CEO) of Twitter on Monday, Parag Agrawal, an Indian-American, was appointed the new chief of the microblogging platform. 

Several other top technology companies in the world are being run by CEOs who are either Indian or of Indian origin, and Agrawal has joined the growing list.

The development sparked discussions on social media on how Indian techies are ruling Silicon Valley.

Patrick Collison, the CEO of Stripe, a financial services and software company, was among the many on Twitter to point out this fact.

He congratulated Agrawal and listed companies that currently have bosses of Indian origin at their helm.

Replying to Collison’s tweet, Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and billionaire founder of Tesla Inc., said: “USA benefits greatly from Indian talent!”

USA benefits greatly from Indian talent!

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 29, 2021

TheCable brings you seven Indian-origin CEOs currently heading US tech giants.

MICROSOFT – SATYA NADELLA

Satyanarayan Nadella succeeded Steve Ballmer as the CEO of Microsoft in 2014. Nadella was born in Hyderabad, India, on August 19, 1967.

He graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka in 1988 as an electrical engineer. He then earned his master’s degree in computer science at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, United States, in 1990. Later, he received an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1997.

ALPHABET, GOOGLE – SUNDAY PICHAI

Sundar Pichai was named the CEO of Google in 2015. Subsequently, in 2019, he was named the CEO of Alphabet, Google’s parent company.

Born in Madras, India, Pichai received a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur and holds a master’s degree in engineering and materials science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School.

IBM – ARVIND KRISHNA

Arvind Krishna joined IBM, a multinational computer hardware company, in 1990. He was appointed as IBM’s CEO in January 2020, effective April 6, 2020, succeeding Ginni Rometty.

From holding a general manager role in the information management software and systems and technology group of IBM, then serving as senior vice president IBM research and later as senior vice president of IBM’s cloud and cognitive software division, Krishna has been a driving force for the company’s expansion and growth.

Krishna has a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from IIT Kanpur and did his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois.

TWITTER – PARAG AGRAWAL

Parag succeeded Jack Dorsey as the CEO of Twitter in November. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay.

VIMEO – ANJALI SUD

Anjali Sud, an American businesswoman of Indian descent, is the CEO of Vimeo, the online video platform. As of 2021, the site has 200 million users, with around 1.6 million subscribers to its services.

Sud was appointed to the position in July 2017, after previously serving as general manager and head of marketing.

She graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2005, with a bachelor’s degree in finance and management. In 2011, she received her MBA from Harvard Business School.

ADOBE – SHANTANU NARAYEN

Shantanu Narayen has been the CEO, chairman, and president of Adobe since 2007.

Narayen grew up in Hyderabad, India. He joined Adobe in 1998 as senior vice-president of worldwide product development, a position he held through 2001. From 2001 to 2005 he was executive vice-president of worldwide products. In 2005 he was appointed president and chief operating officer.

PALO ALTO NETWORKS – NIKESH ARORA

Nikesh Arora, an Indian-American, has been the CEO of Palo Alto Networks, an American multinational cybersecurity company, since June 1, 2018.

Arora has worked in companies like Google and SoftBank. He has served as the vice-chairman of SoftBank Corp. and CEO of SoftBank Internet and Media, Inc. (SIMI).

Arora graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, BHU in Varanasi, India with a bachelor of technology degree in electrical engineering in 1989. He holds a degree from Boston College and an MBA from Northeastern University.