A US-based mostly software engineer at hedge fund Citadel has publicly defended his Indian colleagues after a racially charged rant focusing on Indian professionals surfaced on X (formally twitter), pushing again in opposition to stereotypes about office competence.
John Freeman, a software engineer at Citadel, mentioned lots of the leaders he works with are Indian and praised their professionalism, technical experience, and collaborative work tradition. Responding to an X put up that labelled Indian professionals as disruptive and habitually incompetent, Freeman wrote, “Let’s speak about Indian competence.”
“My workforce lead is Indian. My boss is Indian. His boss, who employed each of us, is Indian. His boss, the CTO, is Indian. They’re all pretty sharp,” Freeman mentioned. He added that his colleagues “know this enterprise in and out,” work nicely with others, and talk clearly. “Everyone seems to be tremendous pleasant. They all communicate English very nicely,” he wrote.
Freeman additionally dismissed a recurring stereotype talked about within the unique put up — that Indian professionals exaggerate urgency at work. “I’ve been right here a yr and by no means met an ‘every part is P1 pressing precedence’ man, of any race,” he mentioned, noting that his earlier Indian supervisor at one other firm was additionally “pretty good.” He concluded by saying that if somebody persistently encounters incompetence at their office, “perhaps your organization simply hires incompetents.”
The feedback have been made in response to an X put up that accused Indian colleagues of assigning unjustified “P1 tremendous-pressing” labels to duties and utilizing intimidation reasonably than course of or knowledge. The put up additionally referenced Madhu Gottumukkala, the Indian-origin appearing director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company (CISA).
Gottumukkala not too long ago drew consideration after a Politico report revealed that he had uploaded a delicate doc to ChatGPT, triggering an inside inquiry by the Division of Homeland Safety. The report clarified that Gottumukkala had acquired prior permission to make use of the AI chatbot.
Freeman’s defence comes at a time of heightened nervousness for Indian professionals within the US, significantly these on H-1B visas. Elevated scrutiny of international staff, tighter immigration pathways, and a proposed $100,000 charge for brand new H-1B functions below President Donald Trump’s coverage framework have intensified debate across the position of Indian expertise within the American tech ecosystem.
Who’s Madhu Gottumukkala?
Madhu Gottumukkala at present serves as Appearing Director and Deputy Director of CISA, the company tasked with safeguarding the cyber and bodily infrastructure vital to US nationwide safety.
Earlier than becoming a member of CISA, he was Commissioner and Chief Info Officer of South Dakota’s Bureau of Info and Know-how, the place he oversaw statewide IT programs and cybersecurity operations. With greater than 24 years of expertise throughout authorities and the non-public sector, Gottumukkala additionally serves on the advisory committee of Dakota State College’s School of Enterprise and Info Programs.
Born in India, Gottumukkala earned his undergraduate engineering diploma from Andhra College earlier than shifting to the US. He holds a PhD in Info Programs from Dakota State College, an MBA from the College of Dallas, and a Grasp’s diploma in Pc Science from the College of Texas at Arlington.
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