SanDisk co-founder and now Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra once pointed to a defining childhood moment in which his father's persistence after repeated visa denials helped change the course of his life.



<h2>Three Visa Rejections Before A Turning Point</h2>



In a 2019 interview, Mehrotra recalled applying for a U.S. student visa multiple times in 1976 after receiving admission offers from American universities, including the University of California, Berkeley.



Each time, his application was rejected, despite strong academic credentials from BITS Pilani in India.



<h2>A Father Who Refused to Accept ‘No'</h2>



After the third rejection, Mehrotra's father took an unorthodox approach. He waited at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and confronted the U.S. consul directly when he emerged from a lunch break.



&#34;My dad said let's just wait here… and that's exactly what had happened,&#34; Mehrotra recalled.



Once inside the consul's office, his father passionately argued for his son's case, questioning how such an opportunity could be denied.



&#34;For the next 20 minutes, my dad really went at the U.S. council,&#34; Mehrotra said, describing him as &#34;my detective… my trial lawyer… my manager and of course my parent.&#34;



Mehrotra said his father has always been the kind of person who doesn't take &#34;no for an answer.&#34;



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<h2>A Performance Of A Lifetime</h2>



The consul eventually agreed to issue the visa. Mehrotra described the moment as unforgettable.



&#34;It was a performance of a lifetime that I'd watched.&#34; He added that his father's determination left a lasting impression on him.



Reflecting on the experience, Mehrotra said it taught him that &#34;if you seek success, start with tenacity.&#34;



He also acknowledged the role of timing and circumstance, adding, &#34;We were lucky that my dad got a chance to talk to the council and we were lucky that the council actually was gracious enough to be able to give my dad a chance to present our case.&#34;



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<h2>From SanDisk Co-Founder To Micron CEO</h2>



Mehrotra joined Micron in May 2017 after a long career at SanDisk, which he co-founded in 1988 and helped build from a startup into a global company before its 2016 acquisition.



He served as SanDisk president and CEO from 2011 to 2016, leading its growth into a Fortune 500 firm.



Earlier, he held engineering roles at Integrated Device Technology Inc., SEEQ Technology and Intel Corp.



Mehrotra earned bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.



He holds more than 70 patents and has published research on nonvolatile memory and flash storage systems.



Micron currently has a market cap of $768.60 billion, while SanDisk has a market cap of $197.41 billion.



Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.



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Photo Courtesy: Thrive Studios ID on Shutterstock.com

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Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra credits his father's persistence in overcoming three visa rejections as pivotal in shaping his educational and professional journey. In a 2019 interview, he recounted how his father confronted a U.S. consul to advocate for his visa, leading to its approval. Mehrotra emphasized the importance of tenacity and timing in achieving success, reflecting on his father's determination as a lasting influence on his career.

- Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology and co-founder of SanDisk, shared a pivotal childhood experience regarding visa rejections for U.S. education.  
- After three rejections, his father confronted the U.S. consul, ultimately securing the visa through determination and persistence.  
- Mehrotra's story emphasizes the value of tenacity, which he credits as a foundational lesson throughout his successful career in technology.

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Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra Once Recalled How His Father Cornered A US Embassy Worker After 3 Visa Rejections To Get Him Into Berkeley: 'My Dad Said…'