Top leaders in the global tech industry, including Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Sundar Pichai (Alphabet), and CEOs from IBM, Adobe, Palo Alto Networks, VMWare, and Vimeo, all share a common background — they are of Indian origin. Indian-born professionals in Silicon Valley are among the most educated and wealthiest minorities in the United States.
With a strong emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), India’s education system, particularly institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), produces some of the world’s most talented professionals. IITs have an acceptance rate of less than 2%, making it one of the most competitive academic institutions globally. Around a million Indian immigrants in the US are scientists and engineers, and they form a dominant portion of the tech workforce.
Over 70% of H-1B work visas for skilled foreign workers in the US go to Indian software engineers, and in tech hubs like Seattle, about 40% of foreign-born engineers are from India. Additionally, Indian immigrants are highly educated, with nearly 77.5% holding at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 31.6% of US-born individuals.
Many Indian engineers come from English-speaking, upper-middle-class families, which enables them to adapt faster in American corporate environments. Their high GRE scores often secure them scholarships for graduate studies abroad.
In Bhutan, students also pursue higher education in the US through government partnerships and institutional scholarships. Currently, there are 15 undergraduate students funded by the government, 14 self-financing students, and three postgraduates studying in the US.
This success story of Indian professionals can inspire Bhutanese youth to aim higher and not lag in global talent development.
