Meta’s Layoffs are India’s Big Break for AI Talent

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Following Meta’s announcement of layoffs affecting 600 employees from its AI team, several startups and Indian companies have invited former Meta employees to apply for AI-related positions, further pushing the idea of India’s sovereign tech movement. These companies have called for engineers and researchers to join India’s fast-growing AI ecosystem, turning a Silicon Valley setback into an opportunity for India’s AI rise. 

For clarity, the proposal emerges as Meta focuses on streamlining its operations, with reductions aimed at its FAIR division, AI product teams and infrastructure departments. The prestigious TBD Lab, which has been strengthened by CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s proactive recruitment from competitors such as OpenAI and Apple, remains unaffected. 

Sarvam AI is one of the first to act among Indian AI startups. The company, which aims to establish a sovereign AI ecosystem in India under the IndiaAI Mission, has expressed its interest in retaining US-based talent. Notably, Pratyush Kumar, cofounder of Sarvam, announced on LinkedIn that India is seeking to hire affected workers in the US to help build the country’s AI sovereignty.

“If Meta [has] just let you go and you want to do cutting-edge AI work that impacts people at scale, just drop me a DM,” he said. The company is expected to release India’s first foundational model this year.

Moreover, Gaurav Aggarwal, vice president and chief AI scientist at Reliance Jio, highlighted open roles at the company that could retain employees impacted by Meta layoffs. 

Responses to his post highlight strong interest among laid-off employees in roles such as software engineering, AI and HR, highlighting India’s growing attractiveness as a destination for AI talent migration amid disruptions in the US industry.

Why Does this Matter?

Earlier this year, Sarvam had also announced the establishment of Sarvam Labs in San Francisco, focused on foundational AI research. The company had invited AI researchers, early and mid-career AI experts, ML graduates and PhD holders to participate in the launch event held in March. Reports described Sarvam Labs as an “initiative dedicated to foundational research for a billion voices”.

This move by companies to attract AI talent to return or stay in the US is crucial for the ecosystem. For example, given the recent push towards Indian AI models and Indian tech stack like Zoho or MapmyIndia, shows that the government increasingly wishes to leapfrog in the global tech ecosystem.

“Our priorities will be defined by how we better serve our talent team’s aspirations and customer needs. Giving our team engaging work and making a positive impact for our customer success are key factors in our hiring plans for India centres and we will continue to see growth on account of that,” Suvarna Nikam, global HR head at Visionet Systems, told AIM. 

“People work for people and with people; this is a thumb rule that every HR leader and business leader needs to understand. In the era of AI-enabled, readily accessible advice and information, it is pertinent not to forget the human element in all that we do,” Nikam added. 

When US President Donald Trump’s administration announced a one-time $100,000 application fee for new H-1B visas, India’s $283 billion IT services sector was shaken. AI startups specifically began evaluating how this policy change could impact their expansion strategies. 

Shantanu Gangal, cofounder and CEO of Prodigal, said, “Companies are hiring based on what you can ship and AI is not limited by geographical boundaries; it is flattening borders even as immigration policies tighten them. My advice to young talent is: don’t wait for a visa, start building in AI now and the market will find you wherever you are.”

Not just Indian companies but also Indian founders of US-based companies are taking note.  Sudarshan Kamath, founder of smallest.ai, also announced on social media that former Meta employees can apply for roles on his startup’s speech AI team, with salaries ranging from $200,000 to $600,000 plus equity.

Kamath highlighted that the applicants must have demonstrated proficiency in evaluating speech, generating speech and implementing full-duplex speech-to-speech systems.

 

The layoffs, not just at Meta, may prove to be a turning point for India’s AI ecosystem. Startups like Sarvam AI are not only hiring but also attracting global talent to the country’s rapidly growing AI sector. A call from Reliance Jio is also a testament to how talent-hungry the country has become. 

This moment could help India transition from being primarily a service provider to a sovereign AI builder, as evidenced by Sarvam’s suggestion to recruit former Meta researchers to help “build India’s AI stack”.

The layoffs may have displaced hundreds of AI experts, but for India’s booming AI ecosystem, they have opened an unexpected window of opportunity. As visa hurdles grow and Big Tech tightens research budgets, Indian startups are positioning themselves as the new frontier for cutting-edge AI work, not as a backup plan, but as the next big leap.

The post Meta’s Layoffs are India’s Big Break for AI Talent appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.

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