The American Dream, With a Desi Accent
In today’s corporate America, some of the most powerful decision-makers were once students who navigated chalkboards in Chennai, lecture halls in Mumbai, or Ivy League corridors in the US. Indian-origin business tycoons have steadily climbed to the top of the economic pyramid, becoming CEOs, founders, and boardroom bosses of Fortune 500 companies and groundbreaking startups alike.But where did this journey begin? What were the academic crucibles that molded these minds? Did their early education in India shape their business acumen, or was it the exposure to global classrooms that turned ambition into empire? In this article, we trace the educational paths of nine Indian-origin tycoons who now shape America’s economic destiny. Spoiler: the road from IIT to IPO is very real—and very compelling.