Indian-American entrepreneur and venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan has been appointed as the senior White House policy advisor on artificial intelligence (AI) by US President-elect Donald Trump. In his new role, Krishnan will be responsible for shaping and coordinating AI policy across the government, working closely with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Trump highlighted Krishnan’s impressive career, particularly his role as a founding member of Microsoft’s Windows Azure team. The 78-year-old president-elect expressed confidence in Krishnan’s abilities to drive innovation and technological advancements in the field of AI.
Krishnan, who expressed his excitement about the new role, will collaborate with David O. Sacks, the former COO of PayPal and the White House AI & Crypto Czar. Together, they aim to ensure America’s continued leadership in AI and usher in a new era of American innovation.
Here are five key points about Sriram Krishnan:
1) Born in Chennai, Krishnan completed his BTech in Information Technology from SRM Engineering College before moving to the US in 2005. His tech journey began at Microsoft, where he also held key roles at Twitter, Yahoo!, Facebook, and Snap.
2) Krishnan is known for developing mobile ad products during his time at Facebook (now Meta) and Snap. He has a strong professional relationship with billionaire Elon Musk and worked on revamping Twitter (now X) post its acquisition in 2022.
3) As a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) since February 2021, Krishnan led the company’s London office. He also co-hosts the podcast ‘The Aarthi and Sriram Show’ with his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy, focusing on technology and business.
4) Krishnan has been an advocate for leveraging technology to address challenges in AI-driven models and large internet platforms. He has worked closely with Musk and other tech leaders to promote innovation and collaboration in the industry.
5) With his vast experience in the tech world and his passion for driving technological advancements, Krishnan is well-positioned to lead AI policy initiatives in the White House. His appointment reflects a strong commitment to advancing AI technology and ensuring America’s technological dominance in the global landscape.
