Parag Agrawal is an Indian-American software engineer. On 29 November 2021, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey announced Parag as the company’s next CEO as he stepped down from the role.
However, in October 2022, after Elon Musk acquired Twitter, Parag was removed from the position.
Parag started his own company
After leaving Twitter, Parag Agrawal decided to start his own venture instead of taking up a job at another company. In 2023, he returned to the technology industry by launching his artificial intelligence company, Parallel Web Systems Inc. The cloud platform enables AI systems to carry out real-time research on the internet.
Parag completed a BTech in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Bombay. He then earned MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science from Stanford University.
What does Parag’s company do?
Parallel Web Systems is building infrastructure for AI agents. These are software systems that can perform tasks independently, much like humans.
- Enables AI to access the live internet in real time.
- Helps AI gather up-to-date information instead of relying only on pre-fed data.
- Allows AI to complete complex online tasks automatically.
- Offers APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that let AI collect data from websites and carry out online actions.
Former Google employee started his own restaurant
Former Google employee Salahuddin Abdul-Kafi left his job last year, where he earned an annual salary of ₹4.2 crore, to open his own restaurant.
- Opened Halal Barbecue (BBQ) in Texas, US.
- The restaurant has gained popularity, and his journey is widely praised on social media.
- Before Google, he worked at Microsoft, YouTube and Cruise.
- Has around 14 years of experience in the technology industry.
- He is 35 years old.
Why did Salahuddin leave his job?
Salahuddin said he had grown tired of the technology industry.
- He felt the work had become more about earning money than improving people’s lives.
- After leaving Google, he joined a non-profit organisation (NGO).
How did he decide to open a restaurant?
Cooking had always been Salahuddin’s passion.
- He regularly hosted dinner parties and barbecues for friends.
- His friends praised his food, saying they had never tasted such flavours before.
- Their encouragement inspired him to turn his hobby into a business.
In December 2024, he opened Kafi BBQ in Texas.
- He decided to give Texas-style barbecue his own twist.
- The response was overwhelming—the food prepared for three days sold out on the very first day.
- He had to start cooking again the same night to meet demand.
₹8.4 crore spent on opening the restaurant
Despite his successful business, Salahuddin has not taken any salary from the restaurant.
- He is covering his personal expenses using his savings.
- Around ₹8.4 crore was invested in setting up Kafi BBQ.
- He says he has not yet recovered the full investment.
Inspired by childhood memories
- Salahuddin said his parents were Iraqi.
- As a child, he was inspired by the flavours of Kansas City-style barbecue.
Why hasn’t he taken a salary?
- Running the restaurant is expensive.
- He reinvests all the earnings back into the business.
- A significant amount is spent on marketing and other operating costs.
