Trump appoints Sriram Krishnan as senior AI policy advisor

Indian American entrepreneur will collaborate with the newly designated White House AI & Crypto Czar, David O. Sacks

By Arun Kumar

President-elect Donald Trump has named Chennai, India-born Indian American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author Sriram Krishnan as the Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence.

Krishnan, 40, who has held leadership roles at Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo!, Facebook, and Snap, will collaborate with David O. Sacks, the newly designated White House AI & Crypto Czar.

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“Sriram Krishnan will serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy,” Trump stated announcing the appointment as part of a broader push to shape US policy on AI.

“Working closely with David Sacks, Sriram will help ensure continued American leadership in AI and shape policy coordination across government, including engagement with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology,” he added.

Krishnan began his career as a founding member of Microsoft’s Windows Azure team. Speaking on his new role, he wrote on X, “I’m honored to serve our country and work closely with David Sacks to secure American leadership in AI.”

The appointment has been warmly received by the Indian American community. Indiaspora’s Executive Director Sanjeev Joshipura said, “We heartily congratulate Sriram Krishnan on this prestigious role.

“For several years, Sriram has been an insightful thinker and influential commentator in the artificial intelligence realm. His previous work blending public policy, international affairs, investing and technology will stand him in good stead as he serves the nation in this important role.”

“As Indiaspora continues our convening and thought leadership work on AI in the United States and abroad, we look forward to engaging closely with Sriram,” added Joshipura.

Born into a middle-income Tamil family, Krishnan developed a passion for technology in the late 1990s, teaching himself coding without internet access. A graduate of SRM Engineering College, Anna University, he earned a degree in Information Technology in 2005.

Krishnan’s career spans roles at some of the most influential tech companies. As a founding member of Windows Azure at Microsoft, he gained recognition early in his career.

At Facebook, he built the Facebook Audience Network, a competitor to Google’s advertising technology. At Twitter, he spearheaded major product innovations, driving significant user growth.

In 2021, Krishnan joined Andreessen Horowitz as a general partner, focusing on investments in emerging technologies such as Web3 and AI. He later collaborated with Elon Musk during Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, where he provided strategic insights into the platform’s transformation.

Krishnan moved to the US after completing his graduation in India. In addition to being a tech leader, he is also a venture capitalist, podcaster, and author.

In early 2021, Krishnan and his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy, launched a Clubhouse talk show that “focuses on organic conversations on anything from startups to venture capitalism and cryptocurrencies.”

In 2022, the Good Time Show moved to YouTube. It then evolved to a podcasting format under the name The Aarthi and Sriram Show, with both audio and video content.The Hollywood Reporter reported that the podcast had received more than one million downloads by early 2023.