He was born in Chandigarh, India. After a brief two year stint at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India, he transferred to the California Institute of Technology where he received his Bachelor's degree. He received his Master's degree from Stanford University, and worked briefly for Firepower Systems. He then joined Apple Computer where he met Jack Smith, the other future co-founder of Hotmail.
He sold Hotmail to Microsoft for US $400 million.