They asked him if he was vegetarian. Then they ruined his career. 💻🍛 We investigate Caste Discrimination in the US Tech industry. We break down the landmark Cisco Lawsuit, where a Dalit engineer was harassed and isolated by his upper-caste Brahmin managers. We expose the "codes" used to identify caste in the workplace—from "the pat on the back" to the "last name test"—and why American HR departments were completely blind to it.

1. The Cisco Landmark: It traveled with the visa. We analyze the case. We discuss how the H-1B visa system inadvertently imported the Indian caste hierarchy into Silicon Valley. We explain the allegations against Cisco managers who allegedly outed a subordinate as "Dalit" (Untouchable), blocking his promotions and isolating him from the team.

2. The "Coded" Interview: How to spot a lower caste. We expose the tactics. We discuss the subtle "vibe checks" used to filter candidates: asking "Are you vegetarian?" (a Brahmin marker), asking for their father's name, or the "pat on the shoulder" (a physical check for the sacred thread worn by upper castes). We explain how these questions bypass US discrimination laws.

3. The Legal Gap: Is "Caste" a race? We explore the fight. We discuss the battle to add "Caste" as a protected category in US law (like in Seattle). We analyze the pushback from groups who claim this unfairly targets the Hindu community, versus activists who argue it's a necessary civil rights protection for thousands of silent victims.

The full list of sources used to create this episode can be found on our Patreon under https://www.patreon.com/c/Morgrain