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What made a Meta engineer move back to India after 18 years in the US? His reason is going viral
A senior Meta engineer shared his decision to move back to India after nearly two decades in the US.
A senior Meta engineering leader has struck a chord on LinkedIn after revealing why he decided to leave behind nearly two decades in the United States and move back to India. His heartfelt post about prioritizing family over geography has sparked discussion online.
Balaji Gururajan recently relocated to Bengaluru with his family after spending 18 years in the US. While he built a successful career in Silicon Valley, he said the decision to return was driven by a desire to be closer to his ageing parents and to let his children grow up surrounded by extended family.
What Gururajan said
"After 18 years, a month ago, my family and I packed up 18 years in the US and moved to Bangalore, closer to ageing parents, growing kids, and a stretch of family life we didn't want to keep watching from a distance," Gururajan wrote on LinkedIn. He also posted a photograph of an airport trolley stacked with more than a dozen suitcases.
Before joining Meta, Gururajan worked at Microsoft and LinkedIn, spending years building both his career and personal life in California's Bay Area. Even after returning to India, he admitted the move still feels surreal.
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"It still doesn't feel entirely real. The Bay gave me my career, my closest friendships, and a way of thinking about technology and leadership I will carry for the rest of my working life," he wrote. He also thanked the colleagues, mentors and friends who had supported him throughout his journey in the US.
The transition back to Bengaluru, however, has come with its own challenges. Gururajan described settling into a city he last knew as a much younger person as "its own kind of project," involving everything from finding a home to managing school admissions and everyday logistics.
Despite the adjustment, he said the experience has been "humbling" and “more often than not, genuinely good.”
Social media reactions
His post resonated with many professionals who had made similar moves. One LinkedIn user wrote, “Your post reminded me of a close friend who moved back to India after spending years in the US and building a successful career at Microsoft. She once told me, ‘India is my mother, but America is my father.’ That line has stayed with me.”
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Another commenter wrote: “I did the same thing. You made the right choice to move to BLR. You will feel the vibe of silicon valley with a strong community of builders and ambitious talent. Just stay closer to your office and you will enjoy life well.”
Some also talked about the emotional aspects of the decision. Others called it a “recent trend of the reverse brain drain.”
