First Indian-American woman to list company in US says returning to India was not an option then
Vinita Gupta, believed to be the first woman of Indian descent to list a company in the United States, says India is different now than it was during her time. Returning to India was not an option during her time, but now there are many opportunities for good engineers in India. Addressing the issue of Indian tech leaders in Silicon Valley in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Gupta said she still doesn’t think coming to the U.S. is wasteful or unnecessary.“India has become prosperous enough that good engineers and technical skills can get you a good job. That was not the case when I came,” Gupta said. “We can’t go back.”Gupta said Silicon Valley embraces people from all over the world and is the most equal place. Even though India has opened new doors, tech workers should still come to the United States. “They should still come here because this valley is based on individual talent, not where you were born, where you were educated,” she said. “It embraces everyone from all over the world. It’s more equal than anywhere else.“In 1973, Gupta received a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications engineering from IIT Roorkee, India. A year later, he came to the United States in 1974. She earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from UCLA in 1974. In 1985, she co-founded Digital Link Corporation, a telecommunications hardware company that went public in 1994.Gupta holds two U.S. patents: one for solid-state relays issued in 1984 and one for square root circuits issued in 1986. Since retiring from the company, Gupta has become a bridge champion.The environment in the United States is becoming increasingly unfavorable to Indians, with Republicans calling for an end to the H-1B and OPT programs. A recent YouGov and Carnegie Foundation poll of 1,000 Indian Americans found that 40% of respondents considered leaving the United States frequently or occasionally, citing dissatisfaction with U.S. policies and concerns about the cost of living and personal safety. A quarter of respondents also cited better career opportunities in other countries.
