Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of social media platform X, was ready to go to war as recently as December on the H-1B issue. “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H-1B. Take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,” the billionaire had said in a post on X.
Nadella, Pichai, and Musk are among hundreds of other tech founders who landed in the US on the H-1B visa. These include Eric Yuan, founder of Zoom; Thierry Cruanes, cofounder of Snowflake; and Raj Sardana, founder of Innova Solutions.
Other immigrant founders who came to the US, though not specifically on H-1B, include Sergey Brin, cofounder of Google; Pierre Omidyar of eBay; and Jan Koum of WhatsApp.
What are the new rules?
President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas. The administration argues the measure will ensure only “extraordinarily skilled” individuals enter the country, while discouraging companies from using foreign professionals to replace American workers.
Also Read: New H-1B visa rules could impact US innovation, job economy: Nasscom
This majorly impacts Indian techies. Roughly 71% of H-1B visa holders are Indian, and most of them are employed in the technology sector.
After the order caused confusion among H-1B visa holders, especially those outside the US, the administration clarified that the rules apply only to new petitions and not to existing visa holders re-entering the country.
“This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X on Saturday. A petition is a request by a company to bring a skilled worker from another country into the United States.