How Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu missed recruiting a future White House AI advisor

Sriram Krishnan, recently appointed as senior policy advisor for artificial intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, has an inspiring career trajectory. Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu shared on X that he came across Krishnan’s programming blog in 2004, during the latter’s final year at SRM University, and was highly impressed. Despite his interest in hiring Krishnan, the young talent had already been recruited by Microsoft.

“I was so impressed I wanted to recruit him but Microsoft already had recruited him,” Vembu wrote, congratulating Krishnan on his new role in the White House under incoming U.S. President Donald Trump. Vembu added, “President Trump has found a great talent for his technology team!”

Career highlights and Silicon Valley expertise

Krishnan’s career includes significant contributions at tech giants like Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook (now Meta), and Snap. He began his professional journey at Microsoft in 2005 as a founding member of the Azure cloud product team. Until November, Krishnan served as a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz’s London office.


In response to Vembu’s post, Krishnan wrote, “You’ve been an inspiration to @aarthir and me (and countless others) for over 20 years.”

AI and government policy

Krishnan will work closely with David Sacks, the White House’s crypto and AI advisor, and other policymakers to shape the U.S. government’s AI strategies. Trump, in a post on X, highlighted Krishnan’s role in “helping to coordinate AI policy across government.”

Acknowledging the appointment, Krishnan expressed gratitude, saying, “I’m honored to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI. Thank you, Donald Trump, for this opportunity.”

Roots in Chennai and continued influence

Chennai-born Krishnan has maintained strong industry connections, including with Elon Musk, and has advocated for technological solutions to bridge AI and content-rich platforms. His expertise is expected to play a key role in advancing the U.S. AI policy framework.