Indian-origin techie judged for how he drank water at xAI hackathon joins Elon Musk’s company
Published on: Dec 18, 2025 07:36 am The Indian-origin techie, who was judged social media users for his drinking water technique at the xAI hackathon, addressed the incident in a tweet. Indian-origin techie Vineeth Sendilraj, who found himself being judged social media users for how he drank water during a hackathon, shared a life update, adding that it was a “full circle moment” for him. He tweeted that after being clipped at the event, he was now joining Elon Musk’s AI company. The techie who joined xAI within weeks of participating in a hackathon organised the company. (X/@VineethSendil) What was the water-drinking controversy?It all started with a picture from the xAI hackathon showing engineers competing to win. However, a few social media users zoomed in on Sendilraj in the photo and mocked him for the way he drank water out of a bottle. Earlier, addressing the incident, Sendilraj tweeted, “1 million people judged how I drink water. I was damn thirsty” on December 9. The techie tweeted again to share that he is now part of xAI, having joined the company after completing the hackathon. Celebrating, Sendilraj wrote, “1 week ago I got clipped for drinking water. Now I’m joining @xai to build the future of AI. Full circle moment.” He concluded the post with the picture that went viral. How did social media react?An individual commented, “Welcome to the team, congrats on winning the hackathon again. Can’t wait to work with you!” Another suggested, “Recreate this photo on your first day.” A third added, “BRO congratulations. Btw, how was the taste of water?” Sendilraj joked, “Out of this world.” A fourth wrote, “Aura max. Love it.” Who is Vineeth Sendilraj?He was one of the four Georgia class of 2024 students who were recognised as US Presidential Scholars. He studied at Lambert High School. He was also a part of the track team while at school. During an interview with the school’s publication, Sendilraj shared that his goal was to make the world a better place. “Coming from a middle-income family, we aren’t aware of a lot of struggles that others around the world face,” Sendilraj explained. “Trying to create more innovative solutions to help those less fortunate has really opened my eyes to expanding my STEM skills as well as having an impact on others.” News / Trending / US / Indian-origin techie judged for how he drank water at xAI hackathon joins Elon Musk’s company See Less ]]>
