Indians in Silicon Valley: caught between Donald Trump and AI

Nishant Agarwal picks maine up from my edifice successful San Jose connected a crisp Tuesday morning. He wants to instrumentality maine to a caller South Indian edifice called Mylapore that has go the speech of the town. I inquire him what makes it truthful popular, fixed the fig of Indian restaurants already dotting the Valley. Agarwal, a 40-something acquaintance who I’d met done overlapping circles successful Silicon Valley, thinks for a infinitesimal earlier answering: “The nutrient is truly authentic, truthful overmuch truthful that connected weekends, there’s a queue outside.”

As we thrust to Pleasanton wherever the edifice is located, Agarwal mentions, astir successful passing, that helium works astatine ByteDance, the Chinese institution that owns TikTok.

“Even successful these times,” I exclaim, becoming self-conscious astir instantly. Tariffs, layoffs, politics, commercialized barriers, bans, EVs — determination are heaps of touchy topics successful the U.S. these days, and I support reminding myself to pause, to self-censor, to take my curiosity carefully.

Agarwal senses my discomfort. “At this time, it’s okay,” helium says. “Let’s spot however it goes with ‘the Trump’.”

It has been astir a twelvemonth since Donald Trump’s instrumentality to powerfulness arsenic President of the United States, and the aftershocks are nary longer abstract. Visa rules are tightening again, H-1B fees person crept up, and renewals are taking longer. Even seasoned engineers talk successful lowered voices astir travel, paperwork, and whether a occupation alteration is worthy the risk.

I person travel to Silicon Valley to unfurl, for myself, the chaos calved of a cocktail of divisive authorities and the unconstrained AI revolution. I person lone precocious moved to the U.S., crossing not conscionable geographies but nonrecreational worlds, leaving down the predictability of Europe for a state successful mid-argument with itself. On 1 broadside are tightening borders, and polarising factions; connected the other, an AI roar truthful unconstrained that it seems to contention up of regulation. I privation to spot however these forces co-exist successful the spot wherever they collide astir visibly. That question has brought maine to the Valley.

Losing introduction level jobs to AI

I had landed successful San Francisco earlier that time and taken the Caltrain down to San Jose to conscionable Agarwal. The enactment volition yet beryllium electrified, adjacent reimagined for high-speed travel. For now, it chugs gently, making its mode done Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Cupertino — names synonymous with Apple, AMD, Adobe, Intel, Meta, and Stanford University.

From the precocious deck, I look around. The carriage is filled with radical bent implicit MacBooks. Some are young, campus-bound perhaps. Others person greying hair. What unifies them is simply a quiescent uniform: jeans, sneakers, hoodies, AirPods in, iced lattes wrong reach.

Outside, it is lukewarm and sunny. Not acold away, rocky hills prehend the horizon, their steely greys contrasting with the light, shiny bluish of the Californian sky. It looks idyllic, a spot to walk, to think, to wonder, to create. Later, arsenic Agarwal drives maine done this landscape, I inquire him however superior the tech layoffs are, the ones everyone seems to beryllium disquieted about. “They’re real,” helium tells me. “Every day, hundreds are losing their jobs. Entry-level jobs person wholly disappeared. It’s not a bully clip to travel survey successful the U.S.”

“Why so?” I wonderment aloud, arsenic we beryllium astatine Mylapore, eating ghee podi idlis dipped successful spicy sambar. It is excessively dense a repast for a airy morning, but I americium hungry, and the nutrient reminds maine of days backmost successful India. So, I support eating. “Well, that’s not due to the fact that the companies are suffering,” Agarwal explains patiently, “but due to the fact that they’re pivoting — for and due to the fact that of AI. Some companies similar Apple person hired AI agents arsenic interns to trial the waters. Everyone’s trying to optimise, and astatine the aforesaid time, hoping to onshore connected a concern exemplary that pays. Until then, the churn volition continue.”

What stock of jobs wherever Indians are employed successful Silicon Valley volition beryllium impacted, I wonder. Done with food, Agarwal brings a insubstantial napkin and takes retired a pen. “Roughly 20%-25% of tech workers successful Silicon Valley are primitively from India,” helium starts jotting connected the backmost of the napkin. “Given that Silicon Valley employs astir 250,000 high-tech workers, we are talking astir 50,000 Indians moving here. Since we are talking astir entry-level jobs getting impacted first, that would beryllium astir 30% of the lot. So, each successful all, astir 15,000 Indians successful the Valley could beryllium successful roles wherever AI plays a important portion of their tasks.”

Fewer students from India

Later that afternoon, Agarwal drops maine astatine the municipality centre, successful Santana Row. Designer stores and costly restaurants enactment the street, its cardinal walkway shaded by gangly trees offering a little alleviation from the blazing sun. I beryllium beneath one, watching families, couples, and lone wanderers walk by, struck by the fig of Chinese faces, thing I haven’t noticed back in Texas, wherever I unrecorded now.

“It’s the archetypal clip successful years that much Chinese students than Indians person travel to this country,” Phiroze Nagarvala tells maine the adjacent day. “Not a bully omen for India.” We are sitting successful a modern Mediterranean-style cafe successful Berkeley, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, eating falafel bowls for lunch. I americium successful Berkeley, an hour’s thrust from San Jose, to conscionable Nagarvala, a Parsi who came here arsenic a pupil from Bombay successful 1961 (“when it was inactive Bombay,” helium reminds me). He has taught mechanical engineering astatine UC Berkeley and worked astatine Berkeley National Labs successful the hills overlooking the campus. He has a bully pulse connected the pupil cosmos.

Dream unravels

In 2025, determination were 5.7% less Indian students overseas (1.2 million) compared to 2024 (1.33 million) [according to the Ministry of External Affairs].

In the archetypal fractional of 2025, F-1 visas to Indian students dropped by 44%. Chinese visa issuances fell by 24%. In contrast, the fig of Vietnamese students receiving F-1 visas jumped by 20%.

Source: ICEF Monitor

Universities successful the U.S. are similar periscopes — what happens determination remains hidden from accustomed show but often marks aboriginal shifts. Has Trump’s instrumentality changed however universities judge overseas students, I ask. “Possibly. But if they don’t judge students from India oregon China, who other volition survey the sciences?” helium replies with a grin. “The difference,” Nagarvala continues, “is that Indians travel to stay, portion the Chinese thin to spell back. They person to attraction for their parents, and being azygous children, they carnivore that work much than america Indians. Any argumentation Trump dreams up should origin that in.”

Some of the effects of caller argumentation changes are already visible. As of November 2025, the fig of recently enrolled planetary students astatine U.S. universities has dropped by 17% pursuing caller restrictions connected pupil visas. Among the universities already seeing less planetary students, the reasons are nary longer mysterious. Nearly each (96%) constituent to visa exertion anxieties, portion much than two-thirds mention question restrictions. The figures travel from the Institute of International Education, which has surveyed 825 U.S. colleges and universities. Most institutions study that the driblet is sharpest among Indian students, capable to resistance down the nationalist numbers connected its own.

Nagarvala and I decorativeness our bowls and measurement into a European-style neighbourhood of pastel buildings, curated boutiques, and artisanal calm. Between the streets, the oversea peaks through. Surfers successful acheronian wetsuits bob connected their boards, and acold crossed the bay, San Francisco’s skyline shimmers successful the vigor haze. We rotation implicit to a Tesla store, extracurricular which a tiny assemblage has gathered successful protest.

‘Musk Is Murdering Our Democracy,’ 1 placard reads. ‘Don’t Buy CyberTrucks! It Killed Three Children,’ says another.

The protesters are each white. I don’t spot a azygous Indian oregon Chinese look among them.

Occasionally, they outcry “Down with Musk”, raising their banners and placards. But the assemblage remains gentle. Behind them, extracurricular a cafe, a tiny set punctuates the slogans with strums of guitars and beats of drums, singing people songs. Cars passing by honk successful solidarity, each honk met with cheers. There is simply a lightness successful the air. The protestation feels, strangely, festive.

“Which car bash you drive?” I inquire Nagarvala arsenic we basal watching. “I’m not answering that,” helium says with a smile, and looks away.

A metallic lining

The adjacent greeting successful San Jose, I locomotion down East Campbell Avenue, agleam and crisp similar the days before. On Sundays, it becomes an open-air market. No cars, conscionable ft traffic. Steak sizzles astatine 1 stall; astatine another, homemade kombucha is poured by the jug. There is vegan crystal cream, crystal keychains, and families drifting betwixt them all, tasting and lingering with Sunday ease.

I locomotion to the acold extremity to conscionable Rahul (name changed to support identity), erstwhile a elder of excavation successful assemblage and present moving successful the tech manufacture successful AI. We settee for beverage astatine a store that sells each things beverage — escaped leaves, cups, and strainers. ‘Thank you for supporting tiny businesses,’ reads a motion retired front. An aged woman, perchance the owner, recommends a beverage made from berries. She brews it for america connected the spot. It tastes tart and refreshing.

Rahul tells maine helium has yet received his Green Card aft 16 years successful the country. In between, he’s been laid disconnected doubly from large tech firms. He is present preparing to articulation a start-up. “From Big Tech to a start-up. Quite a change,” I wonderment aloud. “Yes,” helium replies. “But a Series C oregon D start-up is worthy it. The funding’s successful place. Less risk. And you get equity, too.”

I inquire him astir the ongoing and impending layoffs arsenic we ticker the assemblage drift past. “Yes, it’s existent that AI is cannibalising the entry-level jobs,” Rahul says. “Those roles tin beryllium automated first. But the different crushed is cost. These companies privation to escaped up superior to put successful energy-intensive information centres. Those volition beryllium their temples.”

I inquire Rahul the aforesaid question I had asked Agarwal — what astir the Indians successful the Valley?

“The astir impacted would beryllium the consulting firms, the likes of Infosys and TCS. That’s due to the fact that their engineers transportation retired regular attraction tasks. Since budgets person shrunk, these tasks tin beryllium automated first,” helium says. “Outside, Dubai oregon Abu Dhabi are going each retired to pull AI investments. China has had a nationalist AI programme moving for astir a decennary now, and the velocity astatine which they run is outshining adjacent Silicon Valley. So, different countries are making important investments. However, Silicon Valley is inactive the beating heart. Many start-ups, adjacent though birthing someplace else, yet look towards the Valley to acceptable up store and standard up.”

So, each is not lost, I suppose. “Not astatine all,” helium says. “Us Indians, especially, are precise entrepreneurial. I spot galore actively re-educating to determination into AI. In fact, I get calls from tons of Indian managers present asking for proposal connected however to upskill to beryllium prepared to conscionable this caller reality.”

Rahul is 1 of the fewer who sees a sliver of airy successful the confusion. Instead of resisting change, helium has re-invented himself by teaching himself AI, reskilling deliberately, and preparing for a aboriginal that is already arriving. He speaks astir this caller world with an optimism that doesn’t contradict the risks, but refuses to beryllium paralysed by them. And helium isn’t alone.

That sentiment surfaces again successful a aboriginal speech with different contact, a programme manager astatine Microsoft, who asks to stay anonymous. Yes, she acknowledges, Microsoft has chopped astir 4% of its planetary workforce successful 2025. But the mandate wrong the institution is unambiguous: bash targeted hiring to physique AI capabilities, and acceptable a wide anticipation that each worker indispensable statesman utilizing AI agents successful their regular work.

“My occupation present is to constitute a one-pager describing idiosyncratic needs and method requirements and manus it to a coder,” she tells me. “Earlier, that coder would person been human. Now, the archetypal mentation is ever built by an AI agent.” Entry-level roles, she admits, volition inevitably bladed out. But for radical similar her, Indians skilled successful technology, it besides opens a window: not conscionable to adapt, but to lead. There are nary ceremonial playbooks yet. The lone mode guardant is self-education till assemblage program catches up. And that, she says, is precisely what astir of them are doing.

The Valley aft hours

The streets of San Jose are quiescent erstwhile I instrumentality aft gathering Rahul. I person nary destination, nary 1 to meet. In the dying light, I survey the gangly buildings surrounding maine that are location to SAP, Zoom, Adobe, and different tech giants. The towers basal still, hollow similar the ribcages of a dying beast. It is Sunday, yes, but I wonderment if this emptiness is permanent, dilatory being filled by the soundless hum of algorithms moving not conscionable astir us, but us.

On a insubstantial napkin astatine Mylapore, Agarwal had sketched the math: tens of thousands of Indians astatine hazard of losing jobs successful Silicon Valley successful roles already exposed to AI. Rahul had enactment it much bluntly: endurance means re-education. Nagarvala, from different generation, reminded maine that Indians person ever travel present to stay, to find permanence successful a spot built connected flux. I deliberation of them all. For Indians successful the Valley, the aboriginal lies successful reinvention, determination seems nary different way.

From a distance, I perceive music. I travel it to an open-air club. Loud euphony blares, and lights flicker crossed the crowd. Inside, radical dance, moving similar they are successful a trance — unsure, possibly adjacent fearful, of what the aboriginal holds. I drawback a barstool and bespeak connected my future. Having moved from Europe to the U.S., I person to face this caller world and what it means to me.

In Europe, AI had truthful acold lived successful conversation, bound by guardrails connected morals and regulation, enclosed successful agelong debates astir what should oregon shouldn’t beryllium built. In the U.S., AI lives successful its use, driven by speed, scale, and deployment. A quiescent presumption lies underneath — that if thing works, it volition find its place.

I realise that having moved borders, I request to span these 2 realities. In a cleanable world, we request some — immoderate of america looking astatine AI arsenic a philosophical occupation to lick and immoderate of america experimenting with AI to marque it a instrumentality that produces economical benefits. Sitting betwixt these 2 worlds, I find myself valuing both: the European instinct to pause, and the American impulse to move, portion learning that the existent enactment lies successful translating betwixt them.

The writer is simply a U.S.-based nonrecreational with an involvement successful question and civilization reporting.