- Ujjwal Chadha left Microsoft and the US to move back to India three years ago
- He valued freedom from immigration-related waiting and visa constraints in India
- Proximity to people in India helped build stronger professional relationships
A man who left his job at Microsoft and moved back to India after spending years in the US has opened up about the personal reasons behind his decision, sparking a wider conversation about money, immigration, family and what it means to build a life on your own terms. X user Ujjwal Chadha returned to India three years ago after leaving both the US and his job at Microsoft. "3 years ago I left the US, my job at Microsoft and moved back to India. I make less than I would have if I'd stayed. Here's everything I gained that my salary can't show you," he wrote.
One of the biggest changes, he said, was no longer having to put his life on hold because of immigration restrictions. "I didn't realise how much of American life for an immigrant is spent waiting for permission until I left, and the waiting just… stopped," he added.
Back in India, that uncertainty eased. Without a visa tied to his employer, he felt freer to take professional risks and build his own products without worrying about how a career decision could affect his immigration status.
He also found it easier to build meaningful professional relationships. While in Seattle, networking often meant LinkedIn conversations and occasional coffee meetings. In India, being physically closer to people helped him develop stronger connections and opportunities. "Here I can be in a room with the person by evening. Proximity compounds. Three years of being physically reachable built something no amount of remote coffee ever did," he wrote.
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The move also changed how he viewed the future. Instead of constantly postponing personal and professional goals for a later stage in life, he felt he could start acting on them immediately.
However, the most important benefit was being closer to his parents. Had he remained in the US, he believes he might have seen them only briefly each year. "I got my parents back – while it still counts. This is the one nobody prices in. The US version of me would've seen them a week a year. I've now had years of ordinary evenings with them. You can earn more money later. You cannot earn back the years," he added.
His post received mixed reactions online. While some people related to the challenges of building a career abroad while dealing with visa uncertainty, others questioned whether returning to India was genuinely a choice available to everyone.
