India, June 18 -- An Indian techie has opened up about returning home after spending 5 years in the US, saying a series of layoffs, visa troubles and mounting uncertainty left him "exhausted and defeated".

In a Reddit post titled, "Returning to India after 5 years in the U.S. feeling completely defeated. How do I start over?", the 26-year-old said he moved to the US in 2021 for his master's degree and later landed a job at a startup. He even got selected in the H-1B lottery on his first attempt and adopted a dog and bought a car after switching to H-1B status.

"I wanted to move to a better-paying company because my salary was pretty average, but I felt loyal to my CEO since he had trusted me and given me an opportunity when he hired me....