Shirish Nadkarni

Shirish Nadkarni, a serial entrepreneur and former Microsoft product leader, discusses the controversial $100K fee for H-1B visas, emphasizing its potential impact on innovation and U.S. tech. He argues that immigrants are vital job creators, citing studies that show H-1Bs enhance wages for native workers. Shirish shares his journey as an immigrant and highlights how the U.S. can maintain its competitive edge in AI by welcoming global talent. He advocates for policy reforms like startup visas and removing country caps on green cards to support entrepreneurial growth.

In this engaging discussion, Shirish Nadkarni, a serial entrepreneur with a rich background including co-founding Livemocha and roles at Microsoft, shares his insights on digital marketplaces. He recounts his experience in acquiring Hotmail and launching MSN, linking them to his entrepreneurial journey. Shirish highlights the evolution of online platforms from eBay to Uber, and the critical need for fair competition against monopolies. He emphasizes the importance of understanding consumer pain points and building trust to foster successful products in the marketplace.

Shirish Nadkarni, a serial entrepreneur and former Microsoft executive, discusses his remarkable journey from arriving in the U.S. with just $25 to engineering the $400 million acquisition of Hotmail. He reveals the clever marketing strategies that propelled Hotmail's viral growth and the evolution of email services. Shirish also shares insights from his new book, guiding tech entrepreneurs through the challenges of startup life, and reflects on the transformative impact of mobile email before and after the iPhone revolution.