Decades ago, the United States established programs that allow businesses to hire highly skilled foreign workers — the H-1B visa program and a related green card program. They’re designed to make sure we lead the world in technology. Not uncommonly, H-1B workers and green card holders eventually become American citizens.
One of the best-known examples is Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. He came to the US from India on the green card program, then switched to the H-1B visa program in the early to mid-1990s when working for Microsoft. He ended up becoming a US citizen. In 2014, he was appointed Microsoft CEO and subsequently architected one of the biggest turnarounds in tech history. Under his leadership, Microsoft has become nearly a $4 trillion company.
President Trump, who rode an anti-immigrant message to the White House two times, has both the green card and H-1B programs in his crosshairs — and he’s aiming right at Microsoft.
This story originally appeared on Computerworld
