I left USA 2 days after finishing PhD at MIT. Why? Story of an IIT-MIT graduate

Video Description

"Why I left USA 2 days after defending my PhD at MIT?" 1.5 years back, I defended my PhD thesis at MIT. It was the most satisfying day of my life after 5+ years of blood and sweat. Towards the end, I was thinking about what to do next. There were several lucrative options. I had worked on some groundbreaking research with a world-class team. We made fundamental advances in photovoltaics, oil-water separation, CO2 capture, and agricultural sprays more efficient and sustainable. I helped raise Rs. 5 crores in pitch competitions to spin off a company. My work on photovoltaics received great attention from investors and NASA. On top of these, I was receiving messages from recruiters to interview for jobs that paid ~1.5 crores per year. Any of these options would have been the best start for my American dream. However, something did not feel right. I used to take regular walks to a Harvard Belgian waffle place with friends. We always discussed returning to India to work on our own ideas. One day, I realized that I am only talking and not taking any action, just like lakhs of Indians who come to the US and always talk about returning one day. That is when I decided to book a one-way ticket to India. I left the US so soon after my defense that I had only 2 days to pack all of my stuff. There are a few reasons why I took this step, which is considered bold by my friends and family. 1) Bootstrapping We did not want to raise any money before establishing a product market fit. It is very difficult to bootstrap a company as a fresh immigrant graduate in the US. 2) Visa “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth”. I often think about this Archimedes quote in the context of US visa. I want a place to stand without being at the mercy of the US visa process to do something meaningful. 3) Expenses Needless to say, bootstrapping in the US is an order of magnitude more expensive than in India. 4) Family I have been missing spending time with my family during my 5+ years in the US. 5) Growing market I want to experience India’s rapid growth in the next 30 years. I believe India’s GDP can potentially grow ~10x in this time, and I want to be at the forefront of this growth. 6) Talent pool India has great talent who have the potential to build anything. They are just waiting for an opportunity. 7) Exporting I love the idea of exporting goods and services from India to the rest of the world. This will take time, but I really like to contribute to this. 8) Food Indian food like chai, chaat and Kerala meals are things I cannot live without. I have tried many cuisines- Italian, American, Mexican, French, Japanese, Korean, Ethiopian etc. I crave only Indian food. 9) Creating jobs I wish to create 50,000 jobs in India by the time I am 60- a very ambitious dream. But this dream gives my efforts in India immense meaning and purpose. 10) Sense of belonging Finally, I relate to India more. I have a great sense of belonging here, which I couldn’t feel in the US, even though I was surrounded by some great people. I don't regret coming back for a single day!