Updated 22:28 IST, February 2nd 2025
From SRM to The White House: Who Is Sriram Krishnan, Trump’s AI Advisor?
Indian-American entrepreneur & SRM University alumni, Sriram Krishnan appointed Senior White House Policy Advisor on AI in the Trump administration.

Washington: Indian-American entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan has been appointed as the senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Krishnan’s role will involve shaping the Trump administration’s AI policy and coordinating it across the government.
In an announcement made earlier last month, Donald Trump mentioned that Krishnan will work closely with David O Sacks, co-founder of PayPal and CEO of Yammer in shaping the AI policy.
Krishnan completed his BTech in Information Technology from the SRM Engineering College in Tamil Nadu. A graduate of 2005, Krishnan’s journey is a classic example of transformative education provided by Indian institutes like SRMIST that ensure a world class foundation for young Indians and professionals.
“Working closely with David Sacks, Sriram will focus on ensuring continued American leadership in AI and help shape and coordinate AI policy across government, including working with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Sriram started his career at Microsoft as a founding member of Windows Azure,” Donald Trump had said.
In a post on X, Krishnan expressed his gratitude and said, “I'm honoured to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI, working closely with @DavidSacks. Thank you, @realDonaldTrump, for this opportunity.”
SRM University Celebrates The Big Appointment
SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Kattankulathur, is celebrating the appointment of its alumnus, Sriram Krishnan, as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence (AI) under US President, Donald Trump.
Hailing the appointment, Dr C Muthamizhchelvan, Vice-Chancellor of SRMIST said, “Sriram Krishnan’s exceptional accomplishments reflect the strength of SRMIST’s curriculum and pedagogy. By combining academic rigour with global exposure and innovative learning methods, we continue to cultivate leaders and innovators who make a meaningful impact on the world.”
SRM Institute of Science and Technology Chennai (SRMIST Chennai) is a private university established in 1985, formerly known as SRM University Chennai. It is approved by the University Grants Commission ( UGC ) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The university holds accreditation from NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) with an A++ Grade and from NBA (National Board of Accreditation).
Dr TR Paarivendhar, Founder and Chancellor of SRMIST, said, “We take immense pride in the achievements of our alumni, such as Sriram Krishnan, whose success underscores the opportunities provided by SRMIST. Our world-class infrastructure, vibrant campus, and focus on holistic development have nurtured countless individuals, enabling them to grow and excel in their chosen fields.”
SRM University offers admissions to diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral courses. Major courses include BCA, MTech, MBA, M.Com, M.Arch, BA, BTech, LLB, and others. Admission is based on merit and entrance exams. For BTech, students must achieve valid scores in JEE Mains or SRMJEEE (UG) exams, depending on their chosen course.
Who is Sriram Krishnan?
Sriram Krishnan was born in Chennai. He completed his BTech in Information Technology from SRM Engineering College in Kattankulathur, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.
Krishnan moved to the US in 2005 at the age of 21. Throughout his career, he worked with the top CEOs of Silicon Valley including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, and Elon Musk.
He began his career at Microsoft in 2007 as a programme manager for Visual Studio, where he contributed to the development of Windows Azure.
In 2013, Krishnan joined Facebook where he played a significant role in scaling the company’s mobile App download ads business.
Krishnan Worked With Elon Musk During X Restructuring
In 2022, Krishnan worked on restructuring and transforming X, formerly Twitter, following Elon Musk's acquisition.
Sharing his insights on what it was like working with the SpaceX founder, at the 2024 World Government Summit in UAE, Krishnan said, “For those of you who know Elon, you might think he spends a lot of time on tweeting. He doesn’t. When I was there with him, during the Twitter acquisition, 95% of the meetings were with the junior most engineers and Elon would be whiteboarding out diagrams and being in the details.”
Krishnan’s View on AI
On several occasions, Sriram Krishnan has emphasised that business entities that will adopt AI as a foundational capability will likely define and dominate the next decade.
Elaborating on the intersection of AI and business, he said, “The companies that adopt AI not as a tool but as a foundational capability will define the next decade.”
Co-Hosts Popular Podcast Show
Krishnan co-hosts "The Aarthi and Sriram Show" with his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy. They discuss everything from entrepreneurship to tech trends.
Expressing joy over the appointment of Krishnan to the White House, Dr TR Paarivendhar, Founder and Chancellor of SRMIST said, “We take immense pride in the achievements of our alumni, such as Sriram Krishnan, whose success underscores the opportunities provided by SRMIST.”
“Our world-class infrastructure, vibrant campus, and focus on holistic development have nurtured countless individuals, enabling them to grow and excel in their chosen fields,” he added.
Published 18:26 IST, January 29th 2025