‘Individual of extraordinary ability’: Indian AI professional celebrates O-1 visa approval on social media

Published on Authored by C to I News Desk

A decade after first stepping into the United States, Indian professional Piyush Varanjani has secured the O-1 visa, which is granted to individuals recognised for extraordinary ability in their field. Sharing the news on social media, he described the approval as a major milestone in his journey and linked it to his decision to build a career in artificial intelligence after leaving his job.

Piyush Varanjani
Piyush Varanjani. Photo courtesy: x.com/42piyush

“Got my O-1 approved! Time to build my own reality,” he wrote on X. “After my mom, now it’s the US who thinks I am an individual of extraordinary ability,” Varanjani added. He also recalled arriving in the country ten years ago with “a fistful of dreams” and his harem pants, adding that San Francisco would now become his home.

Varanjani had worked at financial services firm Stripe for more than four years before resigning in November 2024. Since then, according to his LinkedIn profile, he has been working on his own startup in the AI sector. “A few months back I left Stripe to go all in on AI, and now finally SF is the new home,” he said.

The O-1 visa, which he obtained, is given to those who have achieved high recognition in areas such as science, arts, business, education or athletics. Unlike the H-1B visa that applies to a broad range of occupations, the O-1 is limited to people who have demonstrated outstanding achievements, such as winning awards, publishing influential work or making significant contributions to their field.

The visa is issued without an annual cap, with an initial validity of up to three years. Extensions are allowed in one-year intervals as long as the work linked to the extraordinary ability continues.

Varanjani ended his post by offering to answer questions about the O-1 process, and his announcement drew several congratulatory messages online.