The ongoing debate surrounding H-1B visas and their impact on American jobs has sparked significant controversy, particularly as it relates to Indian immigrants. **Aravind Srinivas**, the founder of Perplexity AI, has provided a critical perspective on the issue, stating, "Indians are also being laid off and honestly, the real problem... is the illegal immigration."

Srinivas, who has a notable background with organizations such as DeepMind and OpenAI, emphasized that the current narrative surrounding H-1B visas is misleading and lacks sufficient data to substantiate claims that Indian workers are displacing American employees in the tech sector. “It’s not exactly data driven—the claims that H-1B or Indian immigrants are taking away the jobs of laid-off American tech workers,” he said during an interview with Economic Times.

The controversy has gained intensity as notable figures like **Elon Musk** and **Vivek Ramaswamy** have stepped into the fray, advocating for foreign workers to meet the demands of American tech firms. Musk's recent comments align with a more open government stance on immigration, particularly regarding H-1B visas, and although this has alienated some MAGA supporters, it reflects a split in Trump's base between advocates of reform and those favoring stricter immigration policies. Musk articulated the necessity of foreign labor in companies like Tesla and SpaceX, emphasizing their pivotal role in tech innovation.

"Clearly, it surprised everybody online," Srinivas remarked regarding the backlash, imploring critics to recognize that layoffs are affecting both American and Indian workers. "The numbers are just an order of magnitude higher... If people actually took a look at the data and saw it for themselves, they wouldn't be this angry,” he added.

Moreover, Srinivas defended the appointment of **Sriram Krishnan** as a policy advisor on AI, rebuffing criticisms related to Krishnan’s previous pro-immigration stance. He expressed hope that misconceptions about Krishnan’s qualifications would dissipate as more individuals scrutinize the facts.

In a separate but notable interaction, Aravind Srinivas had the opportunity to meet with **Prime Minister Narendra Modi**, discussing the future potential of AI in India. This meeting further emphasizes Srinivas's goals of integrating innovative technologies into global frameworks. Following their conversation, PM Modi praised Srinivas's work with Perplexity AI.

The unfolding narrative surrounding H-1B visas will likely remain a hot topic as the interplay between immigration policy and the tech industry continues to evolve, with key figures like Aravind Srinivas advocating for a more data-driven understanding of the issues at play.