Jagdish Bhagwati, the influential economist who’s taught at MIT and Columbia in the US for over half a century, once described Indians as the new Jews in America, successful in all fields except the mafia. He may have meant it in a lighter vein, but there’s lots of data to back up what he said. The Indian-American community is easily the most successful ethnic minority in the US, with members occupying prominent positions in govt, business and academia, among other fields. Its annual median household income of about $145,000 in 2022 was almost double the US household median income of $77,540 (the median income for White households was pegged at $80,320).
Sadly, the comparison with Jews may be taking a grimmer turn. The Jewish community has faced resentment and envy precisely because of its very visible success. PIOs have so far, been largely applauded as a model minority, but that could be changing as Donald Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) support base eyes highly skilled, well-paid PIOs with increasing hostility.
A turning point may potentially have been reached with the firestorm of criticism that erupted after Trump named Chennai-born Sriram Krishnan as his Senior Policy Adviser for AI.