August 10, 2026, (Inside AI) — An Indian engineer who quit a Rs 13-lakh software job to study artificial intelligence in the United States has landed a Rs 1.5-crore role at Amazon Web Services (AWS), a more than tenfold leap that underscores the premium on advanced AI skills in today's labor market.
Sai Venkata Aditya Arepalli graduated from IIT Dharwad in 2022 and joined Riverbed Technology in Bengaluru, where he worked for nearly a year. He left in mid-2023 to enroll in a master's program in artificial intelligence at the University at Buffalo, completing it in February 2025 with a 3.6 grade point average.
The career pivot paid off when Arepalli started as a full-time software engineer at AWS in Seattle in March 2025, a position that commands a salary roughly ten times his previous compensation. The details emerged from a post on X by user Vikas Alwys, which quickly went viral.
Arepalli's trajectory reflects a broader global scramble for AI talent. A 2024 report by McKinsey projected that demand for AI specialists would outstrip supply by 50% through 2027, with top-tier engineers commanding salaries exceeding $500,000 at major tech firms. His move from a routine software role to a specialized AI position mirrors a trend where professionals are trading job security for intensive upskilling in machine learning and generative AI.
During his master's, Arepalli concentrated on certifications, coding, and product building, according to the X post. That hands-on focus aligns with industry demands. LinkedIn data shows that job postings mentioning "generative AI" surged 36-fold in 2025 compared to the previous year, with employers prioritizing demonstrable project experience over traditional credentials.
AI Talent Wars Fuel Historic Salary Spikes
Arepalli's compensation, while eye-popping, is not an outlier. Levels.fyi data indicates that entry-level AI engineers at Amazon in Seattle can earn total packages between $180,000 and $220,000, roughly matching the reported Rs 1.5 crore. Senior researchers at frontier labs like OpenAI and Anthropic command packages exceeding $1 million.
Yet the path Arepalli took carries risks. Student loan debt for international master's students in the U.S. often surpasses $60,000, and the H-1B visa lottery remains a bottleneck. Arepalli's on-site role at AWS suggests he secured one of the coveted visas, but thousands of equally qualified graduates are forced to leave the country each year due to caps.
The story also highlights the emotional calculus behind such leaps. Arepalli's father, a photographer, told NewsBytes:
"As a photographer, I did everything I could for them. Today, my son is taking responsibility for me."
That sentiment resonated widely. One X user commented:
"The father's sacrifice makes this story even more powerful."
Another wrote:
"Taking a leap of faith by quitting a stable job to pursue a Master's in AI right before the boom paid off massively. Incredible journey."
Arepalli's leap came just as OpenAI launched ChatGPT in late 2022, igniting an investment frenzy that saw global AI spending hit $200 billion in 2025, per IDC. His timing, whether by luck or foresight, placed him at the crest of the wave.
Critics caution that such anecdotes can distort perceptions. Dr. Anima Anandkumar, a Caltech professor and former NVIDIA director, has warned that AI hype inflates salary expectations unsustainably. Yet for now, the market signals are clear: specialized AI skills command a historic premium, and professionals like Arepalli are cashing in.
