‘San Francisco Is Insane’: Indian-American Techie With 25 Years Of Experience Drives Uber After Being Laid-Off

In a story uncovering the sad downfall of an Indian-American techie, a San Francisco-based startup founder claimed he met a man who spent 25 years in project management but is now forced to drive for Uber since being laid off. In his post, Ronald Netawat wrote that he ordered an Uber ride and learnt about the man’s struggles during a striking conversation.

The Uber driver introduced himself to the startup founder as an Indian-origin man in his late 40s. Having arrived in the United States almost two decades ago, he built an impressive career in the tech industry. But his career hit a major bump and his living condition fell off drastically after he was laid off by Cognizant amid H-1B visa clampdown.

Apple Professional To Uber Rider, Man’s Sorry

Tale

Netawat, who is the founding research engineer at Antim Labs, was stunned to learn of the man’s downfall. The startup founder further detailed that the Uber driver was a man with 25 years of work experience in project management.

“SF (San Francisco) is insane. Took an Uber. a blue Tesla Model Y. Indian driver, late 40s. 25 years of PM experience, ex-Apple, Verizon, and a CTO of an IT company. Came to the USA in 2007 on an H-1B and became a citizen after 15 years. Got laid off by Cognizant as a PM, and now drives an Uber,” Netawat wrote.

pic.twitter.com/eKILG4SZUY

— eigenron (@eigenron) November 13, 2025

The unnamed driver acquired an H-1B visa to live and work in the United States back in 2007. In the last 18 years, the techie built a fantastic career CV. He worked for leading companies like Verizon and Apple and even saw himself promoted to the designation of a CTO in an IT firm. To verify his claim, Netawat even shared the techie’s LinkedIn profile online.

Post Highlights H-1B Visa Clampdown

Even as he waited 15 years to obtain US citizenship and had 25 years of work experience in the country, the man was forced to reevaluate his career options after being laid off by Cognizant. While it couldn’t be ascertained why the man didn’t sign up for another project manager role, it was suspected he was dissuaded by recent announcements against H-1B visa holders.

Historically, the H-1B visa allowed skilled workers to temporarily live and work in the United States. But a recent clampdown on the visa facility, with a heavy fee imposed on companies recruiting foreign workers, has discouraged organisations and individuals from taking this route. The move came from the idea that such recruitment posed a threat to job security among the American residents.