"Leave India! It's High Time!!" screams out a recent Reddit post that has gone viral! The poster who claims to be an Indian entrepreneur warns of impending "terrible economic collapse" with a "massive depreciation of the Indian rupee".
The now-deleted post, written by a user named ‘u/anonymous_batm_an,’ urges high-earning professionals, especially innovators, to leave India for countries with better opportunities and governance, as reported by the Times of India. It recommends the UAE or Thailand as alternative destinations . The sentiments expressed in the post are already resonating with a large number of Indians. The non-resident Indians now constitute the world's largest overseas diaspora. Every year, 2.5 million Indians leave their country of birth, making India the nation with the highest annual number of emigrants in the world.
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| New Company Registrations in Dubai. Source: Khaleej Times |
Indian investors continued to top the list of new non-Emirati companies joining the Dubai Chamber of Commerce during the first nine months of 2024. A total of 12,142 new Indian companies joined the chamber during the period, data showed on Monday, according to the Khaleej Times. Pakistan ranked second on the list with 6,061 new companies joining between Q1-Q3 2024, while Egypt followed with 3,611 new companies registering as members of the chamber. The number of new Syrian companies joining the chamber during the first nine months of the year reached 2,062, placing the country fourth among the top nationalities of new member companies.
India is losing its best and brightest to the West, particularly to the United States, at an increasingly rapid pace. A 2023 study of the 1,000 top scorers in the 2010 entrance exams to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) — a network of prestigious institutions of higher learning based in 23 Indian cities — revealed the scale of the problem. Around 36% migrated abroad, and of the top 100 scorers, 62% left the country, according to a report in the science journal Nature. Nearly two-thirds of those leaving India are highly educated, having received academic or vocational training. This is the highest for any country, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
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| Example of The Great Indian Brain Drain. Source: Boston Political Review |
Brain drain is defined as the loss of precious human capital of a nation. It is a “consequence of an education system designed for ‘selecting’ the best and brightest in an economy that is still too controlled and cannot create opportunities for its best and brightest”, according to Indian economist Shruti Rajagopalan. High-profile examples of India's human capital loss include Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Sundar Pichai (Google), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), Arvind Krishna (IBM) and Ajay Banga (World Bank).
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| Foreign-Born STEM Workers in America. Source: American Immigration Council |
Growing number of Indian students are going abroad for higher education each year and 90% of them never return home after completing their studies. In 2022, the number of Indian students leaving the country for higher education reached a six-year high of 770,000. And a 2021 report estimated that around two million Indian students would be studying abroad by 2024.
Many developing countries are experiencing brain drain. But India is losing its best brightest at a much faster rate than others. Some call it "The Great Indian Brain Drain". This is the reason why Indians in the United States are the best educated and the highest earning group. In a recently published book titled "The Other One Percent", authors Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur and Nirvikar Singh explain this phenomenon.
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35 comments:
On the same note, just read this interesting article yesterday.
https://theprint.in/opinion/sharp-edge/hinduphobia-oppressed-hindus-bogus-rhetoric-modi-doesnt-buy/2418681/
Also, came across a very interesting book: "India Is Broken".
So, I guess India is not really shinning.
G. Ali
I guess India is not shinning.
"The poster who claims to be an Indian entrepreneur warns of impending 'terrible economic collapse' with a 'massive depreciation of the Indian rupee'."
That's clearly an over-reaction of laughable proportions. Sure, India is not exactly an easy place to do business due to a combination of bureaucratic "red tape", corruption, poor infrastructure, bad work ethics, politics etc. That there has been a slowdown in the Indian economy is also undeniable, though there are both domestic as well as external economic factors at play here. (China and the other big economies are grappling with a slowdown as well.) But there is nothing to suggest that the slowdown in Indian economy is of crisis proportions or that a "terrible economic collapse" and "massive depreciation of Indian Rupee" is around the corner. Far from it. The country's macro-economic fundamentals are stable, inflation remains moderate and forex reserves remain at stable levels ($650 bn as of writing), and the exchange rate of INR remains at approx 85 to USD.
I think the poster was likely expressing his personal frustrations about the troubles encountered while running his business and conflating it with the lacklustre performance of the economy at large.
"High-profile examples of India's human capital loss include Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Sundar Pichai (Google), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), Arvind Krishna (IBM) and Ajay Banga (World Bank)."
Increasing visibility of Indians among the leadership of leading Western technology and finance firms can be seen as a "loss" or "gain" for India depending on the way one looks at it. The "gain" I see is in the form of soft-power projection and a positive advertisement for the country - that India produces bright minds from its leading technology and management institutes. The "loss" is that the relative backwardness of India's economy and its notorious bureaucracy, corruption, infrastructural inadequacies make them think twice about staying back and investing their talents here.
"Growing number of Indian students are going abroad for higher education each year and 90% of them never return home after completing their studies.."
This also indicates that the option of studying abroad has been becoming increasingly within the reach of India's broader middle classes or atleast its more affluent sections. A couple of decades back, going to the West for work or higher studies would have been considered a big deal for middle class Indians. But not anymore. Every Tom, Dick and Harry from middle class Indian households goes abroad these days for study or work.
That said, is it that Pakistan is doing a better job at retaining its talent by giving them opportunities at home, or is it that the country is simply not producing enough talent from its institutions (in proportion to its population compared to India)? If the former, why would the country's economy remain in such bad shape forcing it to keep limping from one IMF bailout to the next, and desperate Pakistanis still try to take dangerous trips to get to Europe? Speaking of which, in case this piece of news slipped under your radar, there was yet another boat tragedy near Greece a few days ago where over 40 Pakistani illegal immigrants perished.
"35 more presumed dead after Greece calls off rescue efforts"
https://www.dawn.com/news/1879677
G Ali,
India is definitely not 'shining', but then it isn't exactly 'sinking' like its western neighbour either, is it? And one doesn't need to read a book to know which of the two countries looks closer to being 'broke'. Hint: Its the country that makes a pilgrimage to IMF's door every three years (though its frequency appears to have increased of late).
Vineeth,
Yes, but we are not beating us chest and fooling the public with such rhetoric either.
G. Ali
G Ali,
In India, only the Modi govt and its cheerleaders (which includes many paid Godi media outlets) are "beating their chests" and "fooling the public" as regards to the state of the economy. Common public living outside that bubble who need to make ends meet would know that things aren't exactly so rosy as they are portrayed by the government. That said, the government for its part knows that more than any other factor it is inflation that can pop the balloon or upset their apple cart due to its direct and visible impact on the people. So they have been extra careful with taming the prices of essential commodities and India did not witness the sort of inflationary fire that nearly burnt down Pakistan during the last couple of years. And the Modi govt was also careful not to disturb the country's macro-economic fundamentals and maintained a healthy level of forex reserves as well. What they could not figure out a solution to (as yet) is the slowing growth and job generation. To be fair, there are no easy solutions to that even in more advanced economies.
For that matter, even the present and past Pakistani leaders were not so far behind in fooling the public about the state of the country's economy when it was in a tail spin and a default seemed a certainty without an IMF bailout. I distinctly remember how years ago even PM Imran Khan hyped the "growth" of Pakistani economy under him (actually driven by a temporary reprieve from IMF restrictions, debt-restructuring and aid inflows during Covid) even as analysts in DAWN like Khurram Husain had been calling out the bluff by quoting statistics and numbers and how they conveyed a very different reality. Was Imran Khan, Ishaq Dar and the Sharif brothers all that different from Modi in misleading the public about the state of the economy? They are all politicians not statesmen, and that is what you would expect a typical politician to do.
Vineeth,
Yawning.
I interact with a large number of Indians. Sorry to tell you this but you all have the same mindset, believing from "underlying cultural unity" crap to ignoring the financial woes of the poor. There are only a handful of people who are honest in India.
As far as Pakistan is concerned, we are more realistic. No one believes the government's statements, reality is for everyone to see.
G. Ali
G Ali,
"I interact with a large number of Indians. Sorry to tell you this but you all have the same mindset.."
Tell me sir, how many 'Indians' have you had the privilege to interact with? Ten? Hundred? One million? And how many such interactions did it take you to come to the conclusion that a nation of 1.4 billion people must be thinking in the same manner?
"As far as Pakistan is concerned, we are more realistic. No one believes the government's statements, reality is for everyone to see."
Believe it or not, its the same case here as well.
Off topic, but considering Pakistan's enduring interest in news items and happenings related to Kashmir, I haven't come across that many reports in Pakistani media regarding a potentially "game changing" development from the Indian side - the completion of a long awaited rail link to the Kashmir valley.
A brief history: Though Jammu got connected to Indian rail network long ago, the project to link Kashmir valley to the rest of India via a rail line was delayed due to the challenges of building a rail line across tall mountains and deep ravines of Pir Panjal range. Journey on the winding roads across the mountains was long and uncomfortable and the valley would often get isolated during heavy snowfall and landslides. Work on the rail link started in earnest during the tenure of Vajpayee government and a rail network from Banihal to Baramulla via Srinagar became operational in the valley around 15 years ago. But this was an isolated network with no connection to Jammu, and therefore locomotives, coaches and equipments had to be transported to the valley across the mountains on trucks. Now after endless delays, the rail link from Jammu to Kashmir valley is nearly ready and would likely be inaugurated next month.
Aside from the breath-taking views of tall mountains and deep ravines the rail line promises to passengers, this could also be a game-changing development for India in its efforts to integrate the valley to rest of the country as Kashmir would become more accessible than ever before for ordinary Indian travellers. One could simply hop on an overnight sleeper train in New Delhi and wake up in Kashmir the next morning. Aside from its strategic implications for the Indian military, it would also be a big deal for the valley's tourism and trade with the rest of India. The challenge though is to keep the rail line operational in winter during heavy snowfall, and there are chances of landslides along the route due to the treacherous mountain terrain. And there is the obvious risk of the line being a target for militant attacks as well.
"Tale of tunnels and bridges: Railway’s mammoth Himalayan project to link J&K with the rest of India"
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/tale-of-tunnels-and-bridges-railways-mammoth-himalayan-project-to-link-jk-with-the-rest-of-india/article69029343.ece/amp/
And for a more critical perspective of the project:
https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/12/02/a-train-to-kashmir-tales-of-tracks-that-bridge-or-break
Meanwhile, I also came across an old news report in DAWN from 2014 about another "Kashmir railway" being considered on the Pakistani side to link Muzaffarabad in AJK to Islamabad. I haven't heard anything more about that since then. Does anyone know if the project is still being considered?
"Lofty rail project gets underway"
https://www.dawn.com/news/1137871
ISLAMABAD: Some Senators were surprised to learn on Monday that the federal government has already floated a company, awarded a contract and provided Rs2 billion in seed money for what had seemed so far "a lofty idea" - its plan to link Islamabad, Murree and Muzaffarabad by train.
Members of the Senate Standing Committee on Railways were informed in a briefing that a company 'Kashmir Railway' has been formed, an Austrian company contracted for Rs57 million to prepare the feasibility report of the approximately 110-kilometre long rail project, and Rs2 billion allocated to start the work. Senator Mir Mohammad Ali Rind of the Balochistan National Party-Awami chaired the meeting.
POLITICO: Republican brawl on immigration erupts as MAGA and tech world clash
A debate over legal immigration exploded during the Christmas holiday shows that the party isn't unified, even on its strongest issue with voters.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/27/musk-mtg-loomer-infighting-high-skill-immigration-00196083
An online debate over high-skilled immigration between Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and MAGA evangelists reveals Donald Trump’s Republican Party is grappling with growing pains as it prepares to retake the White House.
Days after the powerful allies of Trump in Silicon Valley took to social media to argue for a greater number of high-skilled immigrants, with a side-swipe at American culture for emphasizing “mediocrity over excellence,” some members of the far-right said such policies would make America “look like India.”
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“The United States graduates over half a million STEM students per year. If there is an issue in the tech workforce, then we need to address it at the educational level, not import a problem away,” said Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) in an X post on Thursday.
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It’s the latest chapter in a controversy that spread after far-right activist Laura Loomer criticized Trump for naming Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American technology entrepreneur and investor who has advocated for lifting country caps on green cards, as his senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence, calling him a “career leftist.”
Loomer wrote, “We are substituting a third world migrant invasion for a third world tech invasion,” and later followed up with, “‘High skilled immigrant’ doesn’t have running water or toilet paper.”
Musk hit back, writing on Christmas Day that a “permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” is the “fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley” that could be addressed through an increase of skilled-labor visas. Ramaswamy followed on Thursday with a post that blamed a culture that “venerates Cory from ‘Boy Meets World,’ or Zach & Slater over Screech in ‘Saved by the Bell,’ or ‘Stefan’ over Steve Urkel in ‘Family Matters’” — a favoring of popularity over smarts that “will not produce the best engineers.”
That earned a swift rejoinder from Nick Fuentes, a conservative firebrand who wrote, “I don’t know who needs to hear this but the latest push for H-1B visas actually has nothing to do with jocks and nerds or high school prom — it’s about whether we want 500 million indians to move here.”
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Meanwhile, Democrats are praising immigration as one of America’s powerful drivers of prosperity.
In a Washington Post interview, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who represents Silicon Valley, supported Krishnan and entrepreneurs in tech who have chosen to become American citizens.
He posted, “It is GREAT that talent around the world wants to come here, not to China, & that Sriram can rise to the highest levels. It’s called American exceptionalism.”
And it’s causing some other Democrats to cast the division between Republicans and the Trump movement at large as racist.
“The far-right backlash against Indian immigrants confirms what we in the Democratic Party have long known,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said in a post on X. “That the far right is implacably hostile to all forms of non-European immigration regardless of legal status. It’s not about status. It’s about race. The far right prefers ‘purity’ over prosperity.”
Year-Ender: Which were the top 5 study abroad destinations for Indian students in 2024? - Times of India
A record 1.3 million Indian students pursued overseas education in 2024, drawn by better prospects and global exposure. While Canada, the US, and the UK remain …
Source: The Times of India
https://search.app/hYwNfe5zRwjr64jL7
Canada 427,000
US 337,630
UK 185,000
Australia 122,202
Germany 42,997
Ashok Swain
@ashoswai
The Times of India calls Indian-Americans the 'New Jews'! They call Tulsi Gabbard, a West Samoan Indian because she belongs to a Hindu cult. Even compares Pichai & Nadella with Einstein. Jews had fled to the US because of Hitler. Why Indian-Americans are fleeing from India? Modi?
https://x.com/ashoswai/status/1872775624131264657
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How NRIs in the US became the ‘new Jews’ in the immigration debate - Times of India
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-plus/international/how-nris-in-the-us-became-the-new-jews-in-the-immigration-debate/articleshow/116715022.cms
Jagdish Bhagwati, the influential economist who has 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 government, 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).
Ashok Swain
@ashoswai
Vivek Ramaswamy exposes his Sanghi mindset behind the put-on American accent. Hindutva Brahmins think and believe they are culturally superior to anyone else, even White Americans!
https://x.com/ashoswai/status/1872758996895187405
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Vivek Ramaswamy
@VivekGRamaswamy
The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over “native” Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if we’re really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH:
Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn’t start in college, it starts YOUNG.
A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.
A culture that venerates Cory from “Boy Meets World,” or Zach & Slater over Screech in “Saved by the Bell,” or ‘Stefan’ over Steve Urkel in “Family Matters,” will not produce the best engineers.
(Fact: I know *multiple* sets of immigrant parents in the 90s who actively limited how much their kids could watch those TV shows precisely because they promoted mediocrity…and their kids went on to become wildly successful STEM graduates).
More movies like Whiplash, fewer reruns of “Friends.” More math tutoring, fewer sleepovers. More weekend science competitions, fewer Saturday morning cartoons. More books, less TV. More creating, less “chillin.” More extracurriculars, less “hanging out at the mall.”
Most normal American parents look skeptically at “those kinds of parents.” More normal American kids view such “those kinds of kids” with scorn. If you grow up aspiring to normalcy, normalcy is what you will achieve.
Now close your eyes & visualize which families you knew in the 90s (or even now) who raise their kids according to one model versus the other. Be brutally honest.
“Normalcy” doesn’t cut it in a hyper-competitive global market for technical talent. And if we pretend like it does, we’ll have our asses handed to us by China.
This can be our Sputnik moment. We’ve awaken from slumber before & we can do it again. Trump’s election hopefully marks the beginning of a new golden era in America, but only if our culture fully wakes up. A culture that once again prioritizes achievement over normalcy; excellence over mediocrity; nerdiness over conformity; hard work over laziness.
That’s the work we have cut out for us, rather than wallowing in victimhood & just wishing (or legislating) alternative hiring practices into existence. I’m confident we can do it. 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
Dear Sir
Thanks for this post, I agree with this author of the article, it is good to see that their are some sensible and justice loving Indians who at least agree with the sick and filthy mindset that Hindu extremist and racist like BJP has.
Salam Sir
I have come across many Indians on YouTube channels and on newspages of Pakistan on Facebook and if we read their comments, we will notice that their is lot of arrogance hidden behind their intent of comments .
Sir their was a well known author in Pakistan who even wrote a book about history of India and in that book he has given reference of Al Beruini a well known Muslim scholar and explorer of medical times. He as far as I remember was also considered as an indiologist( a person or scholars who studies history , culture and people of India). Even Al Beruini in his treaty after he visited and lived in India for sometimes during medivial times that the people of India are the most self centered people suffering from vanity who only consider their own work and achievement as the most reliable and authentic and do not give value to others work and achievements.
I do not have any clue about either American "culture" or its politics, but I could not understand what exactly it is that Vivek Ramaswamy says here that sounds "Sanghi" or "Hindutva Brahmin". If I understood it right, he is speaking of the looming threat of Chinese dominance in science and technology sectors as a new "Sputnik moment" for US and the need to create a "culture" that gives greater emphasis to science and technology education and prioritising "excellence" over "mediocrity". Now one may agree or disagree with his views, but I can see nothing "Hindutva" about it. In fact, this might be pretty much what the Chinese government is telling its citizens too, and they definitely aren't "Sanghis"!
Is the problem here that it is a Hindu Brahmin who says all this and not a White American or Muslim?
Brofessor sb,
In 2023 almost 900K Pakis emigrated from Pakiland, adjusted for population that is twice the emigration from India. Now thanks to your article we know why so many Indians are emigrating from Slumdog India, why are so many Pakis escaping from Shining Pakiland? Regards, Majumdar
Vineeth,
"Tell me sir, how many 'Indians' have you had the privilege to interact with? Ten? Hundred?"..
... but reading Dawn has made you expert on everything Pakistan? Is that why you comment on every Pakistani issue?
"Believe it or not, its the same case here as well".
Believing on "cultural unity " on Sunday but not on monday is being realistic?
Btw, interacting with Indians is not an honor but an unfortunate event. It's just that proving them wrong is fun.
G. Ali
Trump sides with tech bosses in Maga fight over immigrant visas
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyv7gxp02yo
"Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence," Ramaswamy wrote in a long X post that argued that foreign workers improve the US economy.
"A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian [the top student in a class], will not produce the best engineers," he wrote.
The post attracted backlash from anti-immigrant Trump supporters, and Ramaswamy later clarified that he believed "the H-1B system is badly broken & should be replaced".
After the argument raged online for days, Trump told the Post: "I've always liked the visas, I have always been in favour of the visas. That's why we have them."
"I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I've been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It's a great program," he said.
Trump moved to restrict access to the H-1B programme during his first term.
Both the president-elect and his running mate JD Vance have been critical of the visas in the past, although Vance has close ties to the tech world and in his previous career as a venture capitalist funded start-ups that hired workers with H-1B visas.
Ramaswamy's assertions led to a full-blown row online over the holidays, as mainstream Republicans and far-right influencers joined in criticising him and other wealthy figures in Trump's inner circle.
"If we are going to have a throwdown, let's have it now," prominent Trump supporter Steve Bannon said on his War Room podcast on Friday. He went on to call the Republican claims of support of the H-1B programme a "total scam".
Ramaswamy's perceived view of skilled worker visas was backed by Elon Musk, the X, Tesla and SpaceX boss selected to co-direct Trump's proposed "Department of Government Efficiency".
Musk defended the H-1B visa programme as attracting the "top ~0.1%" of engineering talent".
"Thinking of America as a pro sports team that has been winning for a long time and wants to keep winning is the right mental construct," he wrote.
Critics online posted screenshots of job postings at Musk's companies filled by people with H1-B visas, showing salaries of $200,000 and much less, and argued these hires did not constitute an elite talent pool but rather a way to hold down the wages of US-born workers.
Musk then shot back at "contemptible fools", saying he was referring to "those in the Republican Party who are hateful, unrepentant racists".
"They will absolutely be the downfall of the Republican Party if they are not removed," he wrote.
He later swore at one of his critics and said he would "go to war" to defend the visa programme.
Nikki Haley, Trump's former ambassador to the United Nations and a former Republican presidential candidate, became a prominent voice arguing against Ramaswamy and Musk.
"There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture," she wrote in response on X. "All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers."
Haley, who like Ramaswamy was born to Indian immigrants, was joined in opposing the visa programme by far-right accounts online.
Laura Loomer, an anti-Islam activist who regularly spreads conspiracy theories but is also known for her unwavering support of Trump, led the online charge with posts viewed millions of times.
Earlier in the week, Loomer criticised Trump's choice of Sriram Krishnan, an India-born entrepreneur, as the White House senior advisor on artificial intelligence. Loomer wrote that Krishnan was a "career leftist" who is "in direct opposition to Trump's America First agenda".
Cheered on by far-right X accounts, she also called Indian immigrants "invaders" and directed racist tropes at Krishnan.
Loomer then accused Musk, who owns X, of "censorship" for allegedly restricting replies to her posts on the network and removing her from a paid premium programme.
Uncommon Sense
@Uncommonsince76
What’s so insane about Vivek Ramaswamy talking down to Americans, is that he really hasn’t contributed anything to this country.
He got rich literally effing over his shareholders with empty promises on medical drugs that didn’t pan out.
Did he work harder than regular white Americans? Yeah at screwing us out of a dollar.
https://x.com/Uncommonsince76/status/1873246594172141700
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Vivek Ramaswamy Is a Fraud—and Always Has Been | Opinion
by Sam Nunberg
https://www.newsweek.com/vivek-ramaswamy-fraud-always-has-been-opinion-1823853
Op Ed Writer Sam Nunberg is a lawyer and political consultant based in West Palm Beach, Fla. He previously served as an advisor to former President Donald Trump.
Uncommon Sense
@Uncommonsince76
What’s so insane about Vivek Ramaswamy talking down to Americans, is that he really hasn’t contributed anything to this country.
He got rich literally effing over his shareholders with empty promises on medical drugs that didn’t pan out.
Did he work harder than regular white Americans? Yeah at screwing us out of a dollar.
https://x.com/Uncommonsince76/status/1873246594172141700
------------
Vivek Ramaswamy Is a Fraud—and Always Has Been | Opinion
by Sam Nunberg
https://www.newsweek.com/vivek-ramaswamy-fraud-always-has-been-opinion-1823853
Op Ed Writer Sam Nunberg is a lawyer and political consultant based in West Palm Beach, Fla. He previously served as an advisor to former President Donald Trump.
Vivek Ramaswamy Is a Fraud—and Always Has Been | Opinion
by Sam Nunberg
https://www.newsweek.com/vivek-ramaswamy-fraud-always-has-been-opinion-1823853
Op Ed Writer Sam Nunberg is a lawyer and political consultant based in West Palm Beach, Fla. He previously served as an advisor to former President Donald Trump.
Let's start with the basics. Ramaswamy has funded his campaign through the sale of over $32 million in Roivant stock options in February of this year. This could lead one to believe that Roivant, based in Bermuda, is thriving and that Ramaswamy is a great entrepreneur. Except the company reported staggering losses of $1.2 billion in its financial report of March 2023. This isn't a one-time slump: In March 2022, when Ramaswamy was still Roivant's chairman and a major shareholder, the company reported an annual loss of $924.1 million.
Ramaswamy's defenders may argue that Roivant performed better during his tenure as CEO in 2021, but alas, the numbers tell a different story. The reality is that Roivant's finances were abysmal under Ramaswamy's watch. During his tenure in 2019, the company's net operating loss exceeded $530 million. By 2020, the losses had doubled to over $1 billion, accompanied by a 65 percent decline in revenue.
These numbers raise a puzzling question: How can a company consistently bleeding billions trade at over $10 a share?
The answer might lie in Ramaswamy's implementation of Roivant's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiative, called Roivant Social Ventures, during his CEO tenure. Launched in 2020 while Ramaswamy was still CEO, this initiative aimed to foster "DEI opportunities for future leaders in biopharma and biotech."
While Ramaswamy vocally opposes ESG principles, Roivant's major institutional investors—including Morgan Stanley, Viking Global, and BlackRock, the very firms he criticizes by name—are among its largest stakeholders, owning over 500 million shares. Ramaswamy himself holds more than 80 million shares, making him an essential partner of these major ESG funds.
In a deeply ironic twist, Ramaswamy's anti-"woke" campaign is being bankrolled by the profits reaped from the very policies he denounces.
Yet this irony is not the worst of it. In 2015, there was another sordid affair involving Ramaswamy, over Axovant Sciences Alzheimer's drug. In June 2015, Ramaswamy appeared on CNBC to praise the Axovant IPO, which soared to over $30 a share based on expectations surrounding its Alzheimer's drug, Intepirdine. The drug was touted as a "breakthrough," yet upon closer examination, this development fell apart.
Axovant had acquired the drug for $5 million in December 2014, six months before the IPO, after the majority of Phase 2 trials had "failed to meet their primary endpoints" in 2010. Ramaswamy devised a solution: His mother, Dr. Geetha Ramaswamy, conducted a new Phase 2 trial in 2015 involving "684 subjects." This trial conveniently claimed to demonstrate sufficient improvement to "support Phase 3" trials.
The aftermath was a triumphant $350 million IPO in 2015, followed by a drastic fall. By September 2017, the stock had plummeted 75 percent after Ramaswamy and his mother announced the Phase 3 trial's failure. Subsequent trials continued to disappoint, culminating in a 99 percent loss in value and a name change for the company.
While investors suffered significant losses, Ramaswamy profited from a higher media profile, IPO payouts, and the sale of remaining Axovant assets in 2020.
Ramaswamy's latest scam appears to be his run for president. The 38-year-old presidential candidate appears to have no serious interest in leading the nation. In fact, according to people who know Ramaswamy, the goal of his campaign seems to be to block Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' path to the nomination by running as a MAGA-adjacent candidate. Ramaswamy's deception has gone as far as hiring a writer to delete from his Wikipedia page his past ties to the Soros family and the creator of the mRNA vaccine.
Mehdi Hasan
@mehdirhasan
So many South Asian Republicans are totally fine with their party’s racism against Black people and Mexicans but suddenly discover they don’t like it when that racism is (inevitably) aimed at them, too. 🤷🏽♂️👇🏽
https://x.com/mehdirhasan/status/1872965021569040435
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Sidharth
@Cloudwatch199
I’m deeply questioning my decision to support the Republican Party after witnessing the persistent and dehumanizing attacks directed at me and my community by individuals who, despite hiding behind a veneer of respectability, openly harbor and amplify racist ideologies. I’ve tried to hold onto the belief that these voices represent a vocal minority, not the broader values of the party. But time and again, I am disheartened as accounts with massive followings—many of them wielding significant influence—parrot unhinged conspiracy theories and perpetuate overtly racist tropes without consequence.
This isn’t just about isolated comments or fringe behavior; it’s about a pattern that reveals an uncomfortable truth about the party’s failure to unequivocally reject bigotry. These attacks aren’t simply offensive—they are alienating to communities whose values, work ethic, and aspirations align with many conservative principles, yet find themselves consistently vilified.
The most troubling part is the normalization of this rhetoric by individuals who should be using their platforms to unite, not divide. It forces one to ask: Is this truly the exception, or is it a reflection of an undercurrent that the party is unwilling—or worse, uninterested—to confront? For a movement that claims to champion merit, individual dignity, and opportunity, it’s disheartening to see those ideals betrayed by voices that choose hate over inclusion.
If the Republican Party wants to grow, evolve, and truly represent a diverse and forward-thinking electorate, it must take a hard look at its blind spots and the voices it elevates. Without that reckoning, it risks alienating not just me, but countless others who once believed in its promise.
https://x.com/Cloudwatch199/status/1872433029270176105
Elon Musk is on a collision course with Stephen Miller
The Trumpworld feud over H-1B visas, explained.
by Andrew Prokop
https://www.vox.com/politics/392864/elon-musk-vivek-h1b-visas-trump-stephen-miller
The current brouhaha was kicked off by far-right activist and provocateur Laura Loomer last week, after Trump announced that another venture capitalist, Sriram Krishnan, would join the White House to work on AI policy. Loomer called the appointment “deeply disturbing.” She pointed to a November X post in which Krishnan wrote that “anything to remove country caps for green cards / unlock skilled immigration would be huge,” saying this “is not America First policy.”
From there, the conflict spiraled:
Sacks defended Krishnan, but the attacks from Loomer and her supporters continued, with many taking on an ugly racial or ethnic dynamic (since about 70 percent of recent H-1B recipients have been from India).
Loomer denounced “third-world invaders from India,” said “our country was built by white Europeans,” and asked “why are people in India still shitting in the water they bathe and drink from?”
Musk got involved, insisting “there is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” calling this “the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” He also issued the aforementioned “FUCK YOURSELF in the face” post and promised to “go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”
Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon called Musk a “toddler” who needs a “wellness check” from Child Protective Services and said there should be “zero H-1B visas.”
Eventually, Ramaswamy joined the fray in a lengthy X post, arguing that the reason “top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over ‘native’ Americans” is that “American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.” He condemned the idea of valuing “the jock over the valedictorian” and criticized American cultural products like the TV shows Boy Meets World and Friends — praising instead the 2014 film Whiplash, which portrayed an instructor’s psychological abuse of a jazz drummer aspiring to artistic greatness (directed by Ramaswamy’s Harvard University classmate).
As for Miller, he has not weighed in explicitly. But later on the day of Ramaswamy’s post, Miller posted on X, without explanation, excerpts from a 2020 speech when Trump praised the culture and achievements of the American people, calling them “the most adventurous and confident people ever to walk the face of the Earth.”
Some on the nativist right, like Bannon, interpreted Miller’s post as a rebuttal to Ramaswamy — and a reminder of who will really hold power in the White House. Miller, who oversaw the White House speechwriting office, may have had a hand in crafting Trump’s words there — just as he will have a major role in crafting immigration policy in 2025 and likely beyond.
Indian workers slowly replacing Palestinians in Israeli construction industry | The Times of Israel
16,000 laborers have come to Israel from India in the last year, but analysts say it still does not make up the shortfall caused when most Palestinians were barred after Oct. 7
https://www.timesofisrael.com/indian-workers-slowly-replacing-palestinians-in-israeli-construction-industry/
AFP – Wearing a safety belt, helmet and work boots, Raju Nishad navigates the scaffolding, hammering blocks that will form part of a building in a new neighborhood in central Israel’s town of Beer Yaakov.
While he and other Indians working alongside him do not look out of place on the expansive construction site, they are relative newcomers to Israel’s building industry.
They are part of an Israeli government effort to fill a void left by tens of thousands of Palestinian construction workers barred from entering Israel since Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack.
If that attack had not happened, this site, with its slowly emerging high-rise towers, homes, roads and pavements, would have teemed with laborer’s speaking Arabic — unlike the Hindi, Hebrew and even Mandarin of today.
The Hamas attack, which saw terrorists kill some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel and take 251 hostages, triggered the deadliest war yet between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.
It later spread to include other Iran-backed groups including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi rebels in Yemen, and even direct confrontation with the Islamic Republic itself.
None of this deterred Nishad, 35, from coming to Israel.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of here,” he said, despite several air raid warnings that have sent him running for the shelters.
“Once it (the siren) stops, we just resume our work,” he told AFP.
High earnings in Israel, where some workers can make three times what they would back home, are the key to why people like Nishad flock here, thousands of kilometers (miles) away.
“I’m saving for the future, planning to make wise investments and do something meaningful for my family,” Nishad said.
He is just one of around 16,000 workers who have come from India over the past year – and Israel has plans to bring thousands more.
New recruitment drive
India is the world’s fifth-largest economy and one of the fastest growing, but it has also struggled to generate enough full-time jobs for millions of people.
Indians have been employed in Israel for decades, thousands as caregivers looking after elderly Israelis, while others work as diamond traders and IT professionals.
But since the war in Gaza escalated, recruiters have launched a drive to bring Indians in for Israel’s construction sector also.
Samir Khosla, chairman of Delhi-based Dynamic Staffing Services, which has sent about 500,000 Indians to work in more than 30 countries, has so far brought more than 3,500 workers to Israel, a new market for him.
Khosla himself arrived for the first time a month after the October 7 attack, after the authorities appealed for foreign workers in the construction industry, which ground to a halt when the Gaza war broke out.
“We didn’t know much about the market, and there wasn’t an incumbent workforce from India here,” Khosla said.
“We really had to move around and understand the needs,” he said, adding that he believed India was a natural choice for Israel given their “excellent relations.”
He now hopes to bring in up to 10,000 Indian laborer’s, as he has a large pool of skilled Indian workers across all trades.
This reminds me of a recruitment poster I encountered on the walls of a local shop here in a small Kerala town during my morning walk. It advertised job opportunities in Israel for carpenters, masons etc promising excellent wages. And there has been many incidents recently in my state about people who went to Israel on religious tours (especially Christians on 'Holy Land' tours) who mysteriously 'disappeared' from the group while in Israel and did not return. Later the news reports confirmed that they had stayed back in Israel for jobs. There are many Keralites already working in Israel (as in other Middle Eastern countries) as labourers, technicians, healthcare workers etc. Perhaps the numbers have gone up in recent times.
An investigation by Indian officials that alleges dozens of Canadian colleges and universities might be linked to a scheme of illegally ferrying students across the Canada-U.S. border reveals the "staggering" extent to which holes in the immigration system can be exploited, some experts say.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/india-trafficking-colleges-universities-canada-1.7419419
"If the allegations are true, it reveals shocking gaps in our integrity protocols.… This is deeply, deeply concerning and problematic," Raj Sharma, a Calgary-based immigration lawyer, told CBC News Network, adding that the allegations suggest "wide-scale human smuggling."
India's Enforcement Directorate said in a news release on Tuesday it had uncovered evidence of human trafficking involving two "entities" in Mumbai after probing the Indian connection to the Patel family, who froze to death in January 2022 while trying to cross the border from Manitoba into Minnesota during frigid weather conditions.
The Enforcement Directorate said its investigation found that about 25,000 students were referred by one entity, with over 10,000 students referred by another entity to various colleges outside India every year.
Arrangements would be made for the Indian nationals to be admitted to Canadian colleges and universities and apply for student visas, according to the Enforcement Directorate.
But once the Indian nationals reached Canada, instead of joining the college, they illegally crossed the border from Canada into the U.S. and the fee received by the Canadian schools was remitted back to the individuals' account, the Enforcement Directorate said.
The investigation also revealed that around 112 colleges based in Canada entered into an agreement with one entity and more than 150 with another entity, the Enforcement Directorate said.
The allegations have not been proven in court and India has not identified the Canadian colleges allegedly involved.
RCMP has reached out to India
Camille Boily-Lavoie, a spokesperson for the RCMP, said in an email to CBC News that it has reached out to India through its International Policing Liaison Officers to seek additional information about the investigations.
Colleges and Institutes Canada, a national advocacy organization for Canada's post-secondary education network, said that it had no details on the nature of the colleges reportedly involved in the Indian allegations.
The process of issuing study permit applications and acceptance is entirely managed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the student applicant and the post-secondary institution, said Dayna Smockum, a spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
"The Ministry of Colleges and Universities has no role in this process," Smockum said in an email to CBC News. "As our government has repeatedly done, we continue to call on the federal government to enact more stringent border control measures to protect Ontario, our institutions, and all of Canada."
Indian nationals rank high among detainees in US
https://www.newindiaabroad.com/english/immigration/indian-nationals-rank-high-among-detainees-in-us
Indian nationals rank fourth among countries with the highest number of detainees in ICE custody. Currently, 2,647 Indian citizens are held in U.S. detention facilities. Other detainee count by citizenship is: Mexico: 5,089; Honduras: 2,957 and Guatemala: 2,713.
The report states that in FY 2024, ICE deported 1,529 Indian nationals, a sharp increase from just 292 in FY 2021. In 2021, 292 Indians were deported out of a total of 59,011 deportations, while in 2024, the number rose to 1,529 out of a total of 271,484 deportations.
Over the years, the number of deportations has shown significant fluctuations, with a sharp decline observed between the COVID years 2021 and 2023: 1,616 in FY 2019, 2,312 in FY 2020, 276 in FY 2022, and 370 in FY 2023
Additionally, ICE data till November 2024 shows that 17,940 Indian nationals with final removal orders are on its non-detained docket. These individuals are not in custody but remain monitored and face deportation proceedings.
Apart from immigration enforcement, ICE’s Cultural Property, Arts, and Antiquities (CPAA) program collaborated with India to combat the illegal trafficking of cultural artifacts. This partnership included workshops and highlighted ICE’s broader commitment to protecting global heritage.
The rise in deportations, detentions, and non-detained cases signals a challenging landscape for Indian nationals in the United States. These developments emphasize the importance of informed legal assistance and advocacy to support affected individuals and families.
The report aims to highlight ICE's continued efforts to safeguard national security and public safety through criminal investigations and immigration law enforcement.
Alessandro Palombo
@0x_ale
The hidden truth about India's brain drain?
It's not just about loss, but transformation.
Sometimes the biggest exports aren't products.
They're people who change the world.
This is the new “oil” that nations will compete for.
https://x.com/0x_ale/status/1874897365133643808
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Alessandro Palombo
@0x_ale
This is India:
- 11% of Fortune 500 CEOs
- 90+ unicorn founders are Indian-born
- 1/3 of all engineers in Silicon Valley are from India
Why have they all left India to succeed?
Here's the hidden truth about the world's most controversial brain drain 🧵:
https://x.com/0x_ale/status/1874896954771329162
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Alessandro Palombo
@0x_ale
First, let's understand the scale of this exodus:
- 1.3M Indians left between 2015-2022
- 225,000 renounced citizenship in 2022 alone
- 1.5M Indian students studying overseas
This isn't just migration…it's a transformation of global leadership.
https://x.com/0x_ale/status/1874897002905096520
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Alessandro Palombo
@0x_ale
The economic impact is staggering:
- IT sector missing $15-20B yearly potential
- Shortage of 2.4M doctors
- $160B lost annually to brain drain
For perspective:
That's more than India's entire defense budget (~$74.3B).
https://x.com/0x_ale/status/1874897020563140714
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Alessandro Palombo
@0x_ale
Look at the paradox:
India simultaneously:
- Leads global tech companies
- Produces top innovators
- Creates world-class talent
Yet struggles to keep any of them.
The reason? There are a few key factors…
https://x.com/0x_ale/status/1874897054474117197
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Alessandro Palombo
@0x_ale
The reality on the ground:
- 7.33% unemployment rate (2022)
- Significantly lower wages than global standards
- Limited R&D investment
- Restricted innovation opportunities
This creates a powerful push factor.
https://x.com/0x_ale/status/1874897120765132863
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Alessandro Palombo
@0x_ale
But here's where it gets interesting…
While India loses talent, it gains something else:
- Massive remittance inflows
- Global knowledge transfer
- International influence
A hidden advantage that will only strengthen as global mobility increases
https://x.com/0x_ale/status/1874897153983926344
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Alessandro Palombo
@0x_ale
The story is clear:
- Microsoft
- Google
- Adobe
- IBM
All run by Indians who left India.
But now something fascinating is happening...
https://x.com/0x_ale/status/1874897170282975581
I think the question should be "why. is India producing many more graduates than can be gainfully employed in its domestic economy?"
. IIM graduate startup CEO says 2,000 richest families own 18% of India’s wealth: ‘This is insane’ | Trending - Hindustan Times
https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/iim-graduate-startup-ceo-says-2-000-richest-families-own-18-of-india-s-wealth-this-is-insane-101736132025805.html
The founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company reflected on India’s wealth inequality in a LinkedIn post, calling the gap between the rich and poor “insane.” In his critique of modern work culture, Shantanu Deshpande said economic inequality forces people into jobs they dislike. He said that the majority of Indians work not for job satisfaction but for survival.
Deshpande also claimed that 2,000 families own 18% of India’s wealth while paying only 1.8% of taxes. He said that these families are guilty of promoting the idea that hard work will lead to success because it serves their end goal. HT.com could not independently verify this data.
“Most people don't like their jobs”
“One of the tragic and late realizations I've had is - most people don't like their jobs,” the CEO of Bombay Shaving Company wrote in his LinkedIn post.
“If everyone in India was given sustenance money and financial security their current jobs give them, 99% won't show up to work the next day.”
Deshpande theorised that this dislike for work permeates class and sectors - whether it is gig workers or government employees or professionals in “fun and employee friendly startups” like his very own, most people would quit if they did not have to earn a living.
“Work is a majboori to provide for spouse, children, elderly parents, dependent siblings,” he wrote.
Questioning the inequity
Shantanu Deshpande further said that for centuries, it has been considered normal to tear people away from their families from morning to night, ostensibly to provide for these very families.
More and more, however, he has found himself questioning the logic of such a work culture.
“To usurp someone away from their homes and families all day from morning to night, sometimes for days and weeks, with a hanging carrot of a paycheck - we just assume it's alright to do that cos that's what's been happening for 250+ years.
“That's how nations have been built. So we do it. But increasingly I've found myself questioning the inequity of this,” the founder and CEO wrote on LinkedIn.
Deshpande highlighted the wealth disparity that exists within India.
On the question of wealth inequality, he provided some “insane” statistics. Deshpande said that 18% of national wealth is concentrated among the country’s 2,000 richest families.
He admitted that he was not too sure about the accuracy of the numbers but said that these families definitely don’t pay even 1.8% of taxes.
“2000 families in India own 18% of our national wealth. That's just INSANE. Not sure of the numbers but they definitely do not pay even 1.8% of the taxes,” the IIM graduate founder reflected.
“These families and other 'equity builders' like me (v v miniscule version haha) are guilty of peddling a 'work hard and climb up' narrative because it's self serving of course, but also what other option is there? We don't know any other way,” he added.
Salam Sir
Pls check the latest news, according to Express India news, US government has said that their are at least 18000 Indians living illegally in America and their legal status documentations are not complete. As soon as America reports these 18000 indians back to India, the Indian government must be ready to accept and take them and if they don't then President Trump and his administration will impose more taxes and tarifs on India.
This Once Great Country Has Lost Its Soul - The Wire
By Matthew John
Like the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s macabre novel 1984, this regime has waged war on truth, doctoring statistics and other indices of performance; even going to the extent of lobbying international agencies to bump up India’s position in the global rankings.
“Our democracy is disfigured beyond recognition, our freedoms circumscribed and secularism – the animating credo of our Republic – swamped by the majoritarian Hindutva canon and its cultish kingpin.”
https://thewire.in/politics/this-once-great-country-has-lost-its-soul
To be fair, Pakistan neither had a "democracy" nor "secularism" to begin with. So, eventhough the weakening and erosion of either under Modi govt is legitimately seen as a loss by Indian liberals and democrats, I do not think it is a loss that most Pakistanis would be able to relate to. The foundational principles of the Indian Republic under Nehru and Ambedkar were widely different from that of Pakistan, as the country wasn't created in the name of any religion or majoritarian supremacy. The concern here among Indian liberals is that under Modi and his Hindutva political ideology, India is increasingly turning into a Hindu version of Pakistan with an assertion of Hindu majoritarianism, and overt "Hindu" symbols and ideas permeating into its previously secular and even scientific institutions. Under past Congress governments, it would have been odd to hear about ISRO or DRDO chiefs giving public speeches on Hindu scriptures, but that is increasingly turning into a norm under Modi.
"Just the other day, social media was awash with a picture of the defence minister and the Army Chief, in full religious regalia – saffron clothing, tilaks and all – offering prayers at a temple in Dehradun."
The Pakistani Army Chief in uniform offering Muslim prayers in an official capacity may not strike as anything out of the ordinary since the Pakistan Army is seen as an ideological force with an overt religious identity (just like the country it serves), but his Indian counterpart doing the same would have been frowned upon by the govt until recent times. What makes the above spectacle appear even more awkward is the fact that Indian military has a fair share of non-Hindus (especially Sikhs) in its service and Sikhs, Parsis and Christians have served as chiefs of the three services. The current Chief of IAF and its Deputy Chief of Air Staff are both Sikhs, for instance. Perhaps there isn't anything in the lawbooks that prohibit a serving Indian service chief from any overt display of religiosity out of uniform, but it would have been a whole lot better if they didn't.
Mr. Arun
Thanks for posting this question but according to some news sources specially Indian news sources, their are many Indians who are working in America and in other western countries and when their degrees and qualification has been checked for verification they have turned out to be fake.
Salam Sir and salam to members of this blog
Sir further humiliation for Indians, their is a news which shows that President Trump has not invited PM Modi for the inauguration of his Presidency.
I think Indian media is also crying about this.
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