Comment by Riaz Haq on Thursday

@cutoffs.io

🇺🇸🇮🇳 Neeraj Sharma, former CEO of a New Jersey staffing firm, is losing his

US citizenship for H-1B visa fraud.

He filed 11 fake petitions with forged documents for nonexistent bank jobs.

He profited by selling fake visas to foreigners, exploiting the H-1B system.

https://x.com/cutoffs_io/status/2065036941138051324?s=61&t=mgTx...

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I. INTRODUCTION
1. The United States of America (“Plaintiff”) brings this civil action under 8 U.S.C.
§ 1451(a) against Neeraj Sharma (“Defendant”) to revoke his naturalized U.S. citizenship.
Defendant fraudulently and unlawfully procured U.S. citizenship, because he had committed
crimes prior to naturalizing that rendered him ineligible and because he concealed those crimes,
for which he was charged and convicted after naturalizing, throughout the naturalization process.
Specifically, after he became a U.S. citizen, Defendant pled guilty to Fraud and Misuse of Visas,
in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546, for conduct committed immediately prior to filing of his…..

https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1444721/dl

Comment by Riaz Haq on Thursday

An excerpt from ‘India Out of Work: Rethinking India’s Growth Story’, by Santosh Mehrotra and Jajati Parida.
Santosh Mehrotra & Jajati Parida
May 29, 2026 · 08:30 am



https://scroll.in/article/1092862/this-book-re-examines-indias-econ...

Manufacturing employment fell in India after 2015, while it had been consistently stabilised at or around 17% of GDP ever since the economic reforms began in 1991. However, self-inflicted wounds upon the economy by the government did not help. The most labour-intensive sectors, including textiles, wood products, food processing and leather/footwear, struggled until 2018 and did not recover after Covid-19 – except apparel and food processing.

Manufacturing contribution to GVA (gross value added) fell consistently from 2016 onwards, did not begin to recover until 2022 and did not reach its pre-demonetisation level by 2024. The same is observable in manufacturing as a share of total employment, although in absolute terms, by 2023, the absolute number of employees in manufacturing had finally caught up to the 2012 level and exceeded it.

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India’s Jobs Crisis Explained: 121 Million Youth, 80 Million Back to Farming & the Growth Paradox

https://youtu.be/pjXAvOTgqkI?is=9Z8DcPK3mmmAvW3z


In this episode, economist Santosh Mehrotra joins the conversation to examine one of the most important questions facing India today: if the economy is growing, why are employment concerns continuing to dominate public debate?



Drawing from his book India Out of Work, Santosh Mehrotra challenges several widely accepted assumptions about growth, jobs, formalisation and economic development. The discussion explores why India's demographic opportunity may be narrowing faster than many realise, and what that could mean for the country's future.



Among the issues discussed:

• Nearly 121 million young Indians are estimated to be neither employed, in education, nor in training.

• India's demographic dividend window is projected to narrow around 2040, creating urgency around job creation.

• The economy may need to generate 10–12 million non-farm jobs every year to absorb new entrants into the workforce.

• Between 2020 and 2024, roughly 80 million workers returned to agriculture, reversing a long-term structural trend.

• Unemployment among graduates and degree holders remains a major concern despite rising educational attainment.



The conversation also examines the future of manufacturing, the role of MSMEs, formalisation, inequality, and whether India can create enough opportunities to fully realise its economic ambitions.



Watch till the end for a data-driven discussion on growth, jobs, productivity and the future of India's workforce.

Comment by Riaz Haq on Thursday

Quantinuum’s British-Pakistani Founder Ilyas Khan Becomes Billionaire After $15 Billion IPO on NASDAQ

https://www.forbes.com/sites/iainmartin/2026/06/09/quantinuums-brit...

Honeywell-backed quantum computing company Quantinuum raised $1.68 billion in an initial public offering last week, making its British founder Illyas Khan a billionaire.

The listing, which is the largest to date for a quantum startup, valued Quantinuum at over $15.6 billion after it sold 28 million shares at $60 each on June 3. Its shares opened at $58 per share on June 9. Khan, who owns around 15% of the company, is now worth $2.2 billion.

Quantinuum was formed in 2021 when Honeywell’s quantum unit based out of Broomfield, Colorado, merged withKhan’s startup Cambridge Quantum Computing, which wrote software for quantum computers. Honeywell’s team had built a new type of quantum computer; rather than running on silicon chips, it instead used ions trapped in place with lasers to execute computations. Honeywell had previously backed Khan's business and invested $300 million as part of the merger, when Khan became the joint company’s chief product officer and vice chairman.

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British-Pakistani entrepreneur and quantum computing pioneer Ilyas Khan has reportedly become a billionaire after Quantinuum made its Nasdaq debut at a valuation of around $15 billion.

According to reports, Khan’s estimated 15% stake in the company is now valued at more than $2 billion, marking a significant milestone in the global quantum technology industry and highlighting the growing commercial potential of advanced computing.

Quantinuum focuses on developing quantum computing technologies designed to solve complex problems beyond the capabilities of traditional computing systems. The company’s market debut reflects increasing investor interest in emerging technologies such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and next-generation computing infrastructure.

Khan’s journey represents the impact of innovation, entrepreneurship, and long-term investment in deep technology sectors. His achievement also highlights the increasing presence of Pakistani-origin professionals in global technology leadership roles.

As quantum computing continues to evolve, companies working in this field are expected to play an important role in future breakthroughs across industries including healthcare, finance, cybersecurity, and scientific research.

Comment by Riaz Haq on Thursday

Ilyas Khan is a . He is the founder and former CEO of Cambridge Quantum, which merged with Honeywell's quantum division to form Quantinuum, a global leader in quantum technologies valued at over $15 billion. [1, 2, 3, 4]

His professional background and ties to the UK and Pakistan include:

• Technology & Quantinuum: He established Cambridge Quantum in 2014 and currently serves as the Chief Product Officer at Quantinuum, helping drive enterprise-level breakthroughs in quantum software and hardware. [1, 2]
• Academic Leadership: He has deep roots in British academia. He is a Life Member of the American Mathematical Society and a Fellow at St Edmund's College, University of Cambridge. He also served as a Leader in Residence at the Judge Business School. [1, 2]
• Pakistani Tech Initiatives: His influence extends directly to Pakistan's technology sector, where he provides guidance on integrating high-level quantum technologies into Pakistan's growing tech infrastructure. [1]
• Philanthropy: He was the founding Chairman of the Stephen Hawking Foundation. [1, 2]

Because Khan's career spans multiple high-level sectors, his biography touches on academia, deep tech, and international science partnerships. [1, 2, 3, 4]

If you'd like, I can:

• Provide more details on his educational background and early career
• Explain how quantum computing operates at a high level
• Detail his work regarding The Stephen Hawking Foundation [1, 2]

Comment by Riaz Haq 23 hours ago

, with the global number of tech companies started by Pakistani-origin founders accelerating. Leading examples span AI, blockchain, fintech, and health tech, spearheaded by visionary entrepreneurs. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Prominent Pakistani founders of unicorn and decacorn startups include:

• Sualeh Asif: The 26-year-old from Karachi co-founded Cursor, an AI-powered coding platform. The company achieved a staggering valuation, making Asif one of the youngest self-made billionaires globally. [1, 2, 3]
• Zia Chishti: A serial entrepreneur who holds the rare distinction of founding multiple unicorns. He is best known for creating Align Technology (the maker of Invisalign) and co-founding the enterprise AI company Afiniti. [1, 2, 3]
• Mo Shaikh: A Pakistani-American who co-founded Aptos, a major Layer-1 blockchain platform that reached a $4.5+ billion valuation. [1]
• Suneera Madhani: A first-generation Pakistani-American who founded Stax Payments, a leading fintech software and payments unicorn. [1]
• Ilyas Khan: A British-Pakistani entrepreneur who founded Cambridge Quantum, which later merged with Honeywell to become Quantinuum, a multi-billion dollar quantum computing giant. [1]

Note: Data tracking indicates a significant portion of these founders are part of an evolving "Visa to Venture" pipeline, utilizing degrees from institutions like MIT and scaling companies globally. [1, 2]

Comment by Riaz Haq 8 hours ago

Has higher education in India kept its promise?

By Dr. Uppu Rao

https://kevinmd.com/2026/06/has-higher-education-in-india-kept-its-...

These issues may become even more important as artificial intelligence assumes a larger role in research, education, health care, industry, and other sectors. If AI increasingly performs routine analytical and information-processing tasks, the value of human creativity, scientific judgment, originality, and the ability to ask important questions may become even more important than technical proficiency alone. Educational systems will need to prepare students not only to use new technologies but also to contribute in ways that technology cannot easily replace.

I should acknowledge that these observations are based largely on personal experience and may not fully represent the diversity of educational institutions and student experiences across India. Having lived outside India for nearly four decades, my perspective comes primarily from interactions with students, trainees, junior faculty, and colleagues with whom I have worked over the years. Through these interactions, I have observed significant changes in educational culture and student expectations, not all of which I view positively.

One trend that concerns me is what I perceive to be a decline in intellectual engagement among some students, including at the doctoral level. Many students remain highly motivated, hardworking, and exceptionally talented. Nevertheless, I increasingly encounter students who view advanced education primarily as a pathway to migration. There is nothing wrong with seeking opportunities abroad, and many have gone on to make important contributions internationally. However, when geographic mobility becomes the principal objective, scholarship, intellectual growth, and the pursuit of excellence can become secondary considerations.

These observations may not be representative of India as a whole, and I readily acknowledge that limitation. Nonetheless, they raise questions that deserve discussion. India has demonstrated a remarkable ability to broaden educational opportunities. The next challenge may be ensuring that educational quality, research capacity, and career opportunities develop in a manner consistent with the nation’s educational ambitions.

India has made extraordinary progress over the past several decades. The question now is not whether the country can produce large numbers of graduates. It clearly can. The more important question is whether India can build an environment in which those graduates can realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s future.

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