President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of an immigrant from India is causing considerable controversy within the MAGA movement, amplified by controversial statements from Trump allies online about H-1B visas.
MAGA has split into factions after Sriram Krishnan was appointed as Trump’s senior advisor on artificial intelligence, a move that drew support from tech magnate Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, but the ire of ardent anti-immigration advocates.
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Musk pleaded with some of Krishnan’s MAGA opponents to give him the benefit of the doubt, given he believes, along with Ramaswamy, that the United States needs talented immigrants to supplement the workforce.
But his opponents used his immigrant status as a reason for why Krishnan shouldn’t be a part of Trump’s administration. Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt condemned the reaction, saying, “No one should be slandered for their ethnicity or national origin, especially individuals stepping up to serve their country.”
As for Krishnan himself, he has largely stayed quiet about the opposition to his appointment. Here’s what you need to know about the recent Trump appointee.
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He immigrated to the United States in 2007 on an L-1 Visa to work at Microsoft before later moving to positions at Facebook, and then a pre-Musk Twitter. He became an American citizen in 2016.
Krishnan hosts a popular podcast, the Good Time Show on the Clubhouse audio app, with his tech-involved wife Aarthi Ramamurthy. Their guests span a large spectrum, including Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, rapper Kanye West and skating legend Tony Hawk.
Krishnan’s new position is unrelated to immigration policy, despite criticisms of it himself. He has expressed opinions that the United States and other countries should raise the cap on green card allowances to unlock “skilled immigration.”
The Indian American businessman became a general partner with venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz in 2020 — a firm which had helped finance Musk’s purchase of Twitter (now X). He spent time with Musk and Trump’s AI and crypto czar David Sacks in his time with the firm.
He announced he would leave the firm in November before either he or Sacks received job offers from Trump.
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Since his appointment on Dec. 22, Krishnan has shown nothing but excitement for the position. “I’m honored to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with @DavidSacks,” he said in a post on X responding to Trump’s announcement that he’d be in the administration. “Thank you@realDonaldTrump for this opportunity.”
Later that day, he added, that he was “honored to be a part of this team and mission.”
