Zoho CEO recalls his first encounter with Sriram Krishnan, Trump's new AI advisor
Taking to social media platform X, Sridhar Vembu recalled first noticing Sriram Krishnan’s talent through his programming blog while the latter was still a student at SRM University.
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In a surprise disclosure, Zoho Corporation CEO Sridhar Vembu recounted an anecdote from 2004, revealing how he nearly recruited Indian-American venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan—only to find that Microsoft had already secured his services.
Vembu shared the story while congratulating Krishnan on his new appointment as Senior White House Policy Advisor on AI under US President-elect Donald Trump.
Taking to social media platform X, Vembu recalled first noticing Krishnan's talent through his programming blog while the latter was still a student at SRM University. "I was so impressed I wanted to recruit him but Microsoft already had recruited him," Vembu wrote. "We have been in touch on and off as he later moved to silicon valley and became an entrepreneur. President Trump has found a great talent for his technology team," he concluded.
Congratulations Sriram!
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) December 23, 2024
Back in 2004, when Sriram was graduating from SRM University, I came across his blog - one of the early programming blogs from India at that time. I was so impressed I wanted to recruit him but Microsoft already had recruited him. We have been in touch… https://t.co/t3R7OgO0iz
Reacting to the warm wishes, Krishnan responded, "Thank you Sridhar. You’ve been an inspiration to @aarthir and me ( and countless others) for over 20 years."
Krishnan's appointment as Senior White House Policy Advisor on AI was officially announced by President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday.
Working alongside venture capitalist David Sacks, Krishnan's role is to bolster the United States' leadership in artificial intelligence.
With a storied career spanning positions at Yahoo!, Meta, Twitter (now X), and Microsoft, Krishnan brings both depth and breadth of experience to the role.
In addition, Krishnan co-hosts "The Aarthi and Sriram Show," a popular podcast he runs with his wife. The show delves into subjects such as U.S politics, AI regulation, and other emerging tech trends.
Krishnan also previously served as a general partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology from SRM Engineering College, Anna University, and is widely regarded as a key figure in shaping the future of technology policy.
