Vlad Tenev says his parents warned that, as visa holders in the United States, they would have to return to Bulgaria if they lost their jobs.

“And also, by the way, um, we might get... We're, we're, like, visa holders here."”

“"So, you know, if we lose our jobs, we're gonna have to get sent back to Bulgaria." So there was all this pressure to succeed academically. And, um, you know, and, and for me, you know, my math PhD program, at some point, it became kind of this challenge, like, what's the hardest thing?”