'Indians Are Ugly People': Founders Of AI Firm Giga Hit With Online Racial Abuse After $61 Million Funding News

Indian-origin entrepreneurs Varun Vummadi and Esha Manideep, both alumni of IIT Kharagpur and Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, drew waves of abusive comments online days after disclosing a $61 million investment for their Bay Area company, Giga.

The duo posted footage on X detailing how their voice AI platform is already in use at DoorDash and set to expand to major corporations.

Rather than discuss the innovation, some commenters lashed out at Vummadi and Manideep's physical features, speaking style, and professional choices.

One user commented, Like Nixon said to Kissinger- Indians are ugly people," followed by digs at the founders' visuals in the clip.

One commenter later claimed Vummadi had restricted his access on the platform and shared side-by-side images from Vummadi's past to fuel the mockery.

Defenders soon countered the attacks.

One reply stated, "When people cannot match their skills, they target looks. That is not wit; it is weakness."

Another noted that such barbs fail to derail achievements, urging observers to "see them turn into tycoons" while detractors remain in low-wage routines.

Backers kept responding. "Their tech draws users, not their faces. You stick with X for its features, not the owner's charm," one argued.

What does AI firm Giga do?

Launched in 2023, Giga creates AI tools for handling live voice interactions in businesses. The system processes talks, supports various tongues, and links into corporate setups.

Vummadi posted on LinkedIn that the pair skipped lucrative paths: Manideep passed on a $150,000 role at a high-frequency trading outfit in India, and Vummadi declined a Stanford doctorate plus a $525,000 trading job.