It was because I knew that working in Big Tech in Silicon Valley would change me into a different person and I'd never move back. It's been 11 years since then, and I think I've gotten happier with my life here now that I've worked at a few different jobs in Big Tech. But despite this, working in the US suits me better than working in India because of my individualistic mindset. Some people back home think very competitively — they've hinted that they think I'm just plain lucky, and if they had the opportunity, they'd do it too and much better. Even if I had all the resources to go back to India, it'd be different — I've grown apart from who I was.

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Persons: Uday Padyana, I'd, It's, I've, India I've, I'm, it's, they've, there's, —, haven't, would've, India I'm, could've, it'd, Jeff Bezos's, Jane Zhang Organizations: Service, Big Tech, Big, Business, PayPal, Uber Locations: Silicon Valley, India, Big Tech, Silicon, Atlanta, Washington , DC, American, janezhang@businessinsider.com