‘Immigrant trauma + Indian guilt parenting = Unstoppable hunger’: Anupam Mittal on why Indians dominate globally

Why are Indians achieving remarkable success on the world stage?

Shark Tank India judge and Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal believes he has the answer — a unique mix of immigrant trauma and Indian guilt parenting.

Taking to LinkedIn, Mittal wrote: “First Indian-origin NYC Mayor at 34 Zohran Mamdani recently made history. Same week, two 22-year-olds (Adarsh Hiremath & Surya Midha) became world's youngest billionaires beating Zuckerberg. Saikat Chakrabarti is taking on Nancy Pelosi for Congress.”


He added, “I’ve been saying this for years — everywhere you look at top positions, you’ll see Indians. They showed up. Outworked everyone. And took what others felt entitled to. Immigrant trauma + Indian guilt parenting = Unstoppable hunger. All India wins.”

Who is Zohran Mamdani?

Zohran Mamdani, 33, recently became New York City’s first Indian-American and Muslim mayor. He is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan-born Indian academic Mahmood Mamdani. Born in Kampala, Uganda, he moved to New York at the age of seven and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018.

Before entering politics, Mamdani worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor helping low-income families, while also pursuing creative interests like rap and writing. He holds a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College.

About Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha

At just 22, Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha have become the world's youngest self-made billionaires. They are the co-founders of Mercor, a San Francisco–based AI recruiting startup recently valued at $10 billion after raising $350 million in funding — surpassing the record set by Mark Zuckerberg at age 23.

Hiremath grew up in the Bay Area and pursued a Concurrent Bachelor’s/Master’s in Computer Science.
Midha was born in Mountain View and raised in San Jose by parents who immigrated from New Delhi. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Studies at Georgetown University and also studied economics there.

The duo also made their mark in competitive policy debate — becoming the first team ever to win all three national tournaments, with Midha named best speaker at two of them.