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Former Meta employee's post about H-1B visas ignites debate on talent and immigration
The post drew sharp rebuttals from Indian tech professionals and other global observers who argued that the debate was not about nationality but about talent.
Former Meta employee Zach Wilson has ignited a debate online after revealing that 15 of the 17 members on his 2017 data engineering team were on H-1B visas. His post on X, shared amid mounting anxiety over President Donald Trump’s proposed $100,000 visa fee, quickly went viral.
"When I worked at Meta in 2017, I was on a team of 17 people. 15 of the 17 were on H1B visas. I was one of two Americans on the team," Wilson wrote, calculating that the proposed fee would translate to a $1.5 million cost for his former team. He suggested the new policy could be a boon for American tech workers, claiming, "more than 80 percent of your competition literally just vanished overnight."
The post drew sharp rebuttals from Indian tech professionals and other global observers who argued that the debate was not about nationality but about talent. Nitin Ahirwal, an Indian engineer, contended that "Meta’s core growth data engineering wasn’t built on passports, it was built on talent." He argued that the high percentage of H-1B holders on the team suggested a gap in the U.S. talent pipeline, stating, "US schools are producing users of tech, not builders."
Ahirwal also dismissed the $1.5 million figure as negligible compared to the billions in value created by H-1B talent. He predicted that affected engineers would simply take their skills elsewhere, "building the next Meta, Google, or Nvidia — in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Toronto, or Singapore."
Another user, Rushikesh Patil, echoed this sentiment, arguing that "Removing visas doesn’t replace the gap, it just exposes it." Other users shared similar experiences of working on tech teams with a majority of international talent, highlighting a systemic issue within the industry.
Amid the heated discussion, the White House issued a clarification. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated on X that the $100,000 fee is a one-time charge for new petitions, not an annual fee.
Despite the clarification, the order has sent shockwaves through the tech community, especially for Indian professionals, who account for over 70% of H-1B visa holders. The proposed fee, a dramatic increase from the current $2,000 to $5,000, has raised concerns that it could cripple companies that depend on the program and effectively price out many international candidates. The debate continues to rage online, raising critical questions about the future of the global tech industry, its talent pipeline, and the U.S. immigration policy.
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