'Freedom To Go For A Walk Or A Run': Woman Explains Why She Chose San Francisco Over Bengaluru

An Indian woman, who recently secured an O1 work visa for the United States, has shared why relocating from Bengaluru to the United States has been the best decision for her. She cites a few personal and professional development opportunities in her now-viral post to explain why she has decided to move abroad. Viba Mohan, a product designer, outlined four key reasons for making San Francisco her home for the next few years. She emphasised that the cultural environment was her top reason and mentioned the “wild, relentless optimism” she finds in the US.

“I’ve been bouncing between Bangalore and America, trying to answer this question for myself. After lots of overthinking (and probably too much coffee), I decided America was going to be my new home,” Mohan shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

She starts her post by mentioning two things about the culture in the US that she loves. First, she mentions optimism. “Everyone’s stoked about the possibilities, and if you fail, you just try again! The second is craftsmanship. It’s all about perfecting your craft, and that vibe is contagious,” she explains.

Another significant reason for her move is the sense of safety, both at work and in public spaces. “It’s a breath of fresh air to work without tiptoeing around a colleague who’s obsessed with you and has zero boundaries. And the freedom to go for a walk or a run without always looking over my shoulder?” she explained, adding that living in a safer environment not only brings peace of mind but also boosts productivity.

Mohan also discussed why she opted not to pursue the highly sought-after H-1B visa, which is popular among Indian tech professionals. “The visa game is a nightmare. I knew I wasn’t about to tie myself to a H-1B or drop a fortune on a master’s degree to move here. Getting the O1 and the freedom that comes with it made this so much easier,” she said.

Finally, she compared the startup scenes in Bengaluru and San Francisco, mentioning that Bengaluru’s tech space is heavily focused on fintech and e-commerce.

“Bangalore’s got some brilliant minds, no doubt! But the tech scene? It’s often about fintech, last mile, e-commerce—you know, the usual suspects. It’s changing, which is awesome, but the problems I’m most interested in? They’re still being solved in SF,” she added.

Check out her post here:

She concluded her X post by saying that Bangalore will always be where her heart is. “I’ve made the best friends and learned the most there. But for what I want to do, America’s the place to be right now,” she said.