Semiconductor major Micron Technology has officially crossed a $1 trillion market capitalisation, placing renewed focus on its long-serving Chief Executive Officer, Sanjay Mehrotra.
The Indian-origin executive leads one of the world’s largest memory chip manufacturers, which has gained significant value due to the global surge in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Mehrotra’s path to the top of the global semiconductor industry began with rejection. The CEO has often recalled how the United States embassy in New Delhi denied him a student visa three times in 1976 before his father’s persistence finally secured the approval that changed his career, Computer History Museum reported.
The Embassy Standoff That Changed His Future
In the summer of 1976, Mehrotra was a teenage engineering student from Kanpur standing inside the US Embassy in New Delhi. Officials had just denied him an American student visa for the third consecutive time, putting his admission to the University of California, Berkeley at serious risk.
While Mehrotra prepared to accept the decision, his father refused to leave the embassy lobby. He spotted the US Consul and followed the official into his private office.
During a 20-minute meeting, Mehrotra’s father argued strongly for his son’s academic merit and his case for studying abroad. The consul eventually approved the visa stamp.
That reversal allowed Mehrotra to attend UC Berkeley, where he completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Mehrotra has often cited his father’s persistence at the embassy as the foundational lesson that shaped his approach to leadership and the technology industry.
From Kanpur To California
Sanjay Mehrotra was born in Kanpur in 1958. He studied at BITS Pilani before moving to the United States at the age of 18. After securing his US visa, he pursued electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
His journey from a middle-class Indian family to the leadership of a trillion-dollar technology company is now viewed as one of the most notable success stories in the global semiconductor business.
Co-Founding SanDisk
In 1988, Mehrotra co-founded SanDisk along with Eli Harari and Jack Yuan. The company became an early pioneer in flash memory storage technology and played a key role in shaping modern digital storage devices.
SanDisk went public in 1995 and grew into one of the most recognised names in the memory storage business. In 2016, Western Digital acquired SanDisk in a deal valued at around $16 billion. Mehrotra led the negotiations as SanDisk’s Chief Executive Officer at the time.
Taking Charge At Micron
A year after the SanDisk sale, Mehrotra was appointed CEO of Micron Technology in 2017. Micron’s stock traded at around $30 a share when he took over.
Under his leadership, Micron expanded operations as global demand for memory chips increased. The company strengthened its position in DRAM and NAND flash memory, both of which are critical components for data centres, smartphones, and AI servers.
The AI Boom And The Trillion-Dollar Milestone
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence has created a strong demand for high-performance memory chips used in AI servers and advanced computing systems. Micron has benefited heavily from this trend.
The company’s stock has climbed sharply over the past year as investors focused on AI-linked semiconductor firms. On May 26, 2026, Micron crossed the $1 trillion market capitalisation mark for the first time after a single-day stock surge of around 19 per cent.
The move followed a major price target upgrade from UBS, which raised its target on Micron to $1,625 per share. Micron is now among the few chipmakers in the world to reach this valuation milestone.
Personal Fortune
The rally in Micron stock has also boosted Mehrotra’s personal wealth. The 67-year-old executive is now estimated to be worth around $1.2 billion, largely due to his Micron stock awards and his long career across the memory chip industry.
A Story Of Persistence
Mehrotra’s rise from a student repeatedly denied a visa to the CEO of a trillion-dollar technology firm is widely seen as a story of determination.
What appeared to be a setback at the US embassy in New Delhi eventually marked the start of a career that placed him among the most successful Indian-origin business leaders globally.
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