The career decision of an IIT Bombay graduate has gained attention on social media after a widely shared tweet claimed that he declined a $1-million annual job offer from Meta to create his own artificial intelligence company.
AI researcher Rishabh Agarwal has held positions at some of the top AI research institutions worldwide. He later responded with an explanation that gave the viral claim a new twist, even though the initial article commended him for turning down a rich business offer.
"Meet Rishabh Agarwal, who got AIR 33 in JEE and completed his B.Tech, Computer Science from IIT Bombay. He worked at Google Brain, DeepMind, Waymo, and when Mark Zuckerberg personally gave him a $1 million job offer (approx ₹9.5 crore), he denied it," Vikas Alwys posted on X.
Agarwal's qualifications in the AI field were also emphasised in the conversation. "And do you know what he's doing today? Building the next-generation AI company called Periodic Labs. Many of us might not know him well, but in the AI world, he is a big deal. The reason is that he has worked at some of the most elite AI labs on the planet: Google Brain, DeepMind, Waymo, and Meta Superintelligence Labs," Alwys added.
Meet Rishabh Agrawal, who got AIR 33 in JEE and completed his https://t.co/Ws1j7hoGgc, Computer Science from IIT Bombay. He worked at Google Brain, DeepMind, Waymo, and when Mark Zuckerberg personally gave him a $1 million job offer, he denied it.
— Vikas Alwys (@VikasAlwys) July 7, 2026
And do you know what he's doing… pic.twitter.com/WpEtQ17RV1
Many people praised Agarwal for choosing entrepreneurship over a lucrative corporate position, as the article soon gained popularity. Agarwal himself entered the discussion when the post became viral.
He fixed one important aspect of the claimed remuneration without challenging the larger story.
“Meta's offer was an order of magnitude higher than $1 million.”
Meta's offer was an order of magnitude higher than $1 million ???? https://t.co/kVaUunhMKI
— Rishabh Agarwal (@agarwl_) July 8, 2026
Agarwal's statement implied that the compensation package was far larger than the sum stated in the viral article, even if he did not reveal the precise number.
Many individuals speculated about the amount of money being provided by big tech companies vying for AI talent. The thread claims that Agarwal received an All India Rank (AIR) of 33 in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) prior to graduating from IIT Bombay with a B.Tech in Computer Science.
He has held positions with some internationally renowned AI companies, such as Waymo, DeepMind, Google Brain, and Meta Superintelligence Labs. According to the post, he is currently a co-founder of Periodic Labs, an AI business that specialises in cutting-edge technologies.
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