Microsoft Vice President Kesavan Shanmugam is leaving the company after 23 years to care for his parents in India. He led key AI projects like Excel Copilot. Shanmugam said, "It is also the right trade-off for me - to focus my energy on family and friends." Many people praised his choice.
Sometimes, even the most high-profile tech jobs take a back seat for family. Kesavan Shanmugam, a senior Vice President of Engineering at Microsoft, is stepping down after a successful 23-year run at the company. The reason? He wants to move back to India to spend more time with his ageing parents.
Shanmugam's departure comes at a crucial time. He was a key player behind Microsoft's Excel Copilot and agentic AI systems. Walking away during the biggest AI boom in history was not an easy choice, but for Shanmugam, family came first.
"The right trade-off"
In a heartfelt LinkedIn post that has since gone viral, Shanmugam announced his retirement, calling it a difficult but necessary decision.
"After 23 years at Microsoft, I am retiring today to spend more time with my aging parents in India," he wrote. "It was difficult to walk away from the exciting work in Excel Copilot and the amazing colleagues at Microsoft. But it is also the right trade-off for me - to focus my energy on family and friends."
He also took a moment to thank his colleagues, noting that they made his two-decade journey at the tech giant "fun, exciting and fulfilling."
Internet praises the move
The post struck a chord with professionals across the tech industry, drawing hundreds of reactions. Many users praised his decision to prioritise his parents over his career ambitions.
"Building a career at one of the world's most influential technology companies is an incredible achievement, but choosing to step away from something you love to be there for your family makes this transition even more meaningful," wrote one LinkedIn user.
Another user shared a personal connection, commenting, "That's probably one of the best decisions you can take. As someone who just lost one parent, I will urge you highly you try your best to keep them close." Echoing the warm sentiment, another well-wisher added, "I don't personally know you brother but your decision to prioritize your parents garnered my attention and my best wishes to you :)."
Did US visa rules play a role?
While Shanmugam's post focused on family, his announcement sparked speculation online about whether changing US immigration policies played a part in his exit.
Some social media users questioned if the decision was linked to recent actions by the Trump administration. Earlier this month, US officials announced that Microsoft, Adobe, and several major outsourcing firms were temporarily barred from filing new green-card sponsorship applications under the Permanent Labor Certification Programme. This suspension comes amid ongoing investigations into alleged H-1B visa abuse.
However, Shanmugam framed his decision purely as a personal choice centred around his family.
A growing trend among tech leaders
Shanmugam is not the only senior NRI tech leader making this choice. His retirement comes just months after Balaji Gururajan, a Meta engineering leader, revealed he had relocated from the US to Bengaluru after 18 years.
Gururajan also made the move to be closer to his ageing parents, stating he did not want to watch an important phase of his family's life "from a distance." His post resonated widely, sparking a much-needed conversation among Indian professionals living abroad about balancing career success with caregiving responsibilities back home.