US President Donald Trump gave a big jolt to the Silicon Valley companies after he signed an executive order freezing work visas owing to unemployment brought in by the Covid-19 crisis. Trump cancelled work visas, including the H-1B visa programme for highly-skilled workers. This cut off the supply of foreign labour to tech companies at a time when they were already facing a technical talent shortage, according to media reports.
Surprised, shocked, and exasperated by the decision, here is how major tech giants reacted over the Trump’s administration temporary suspension of visas:
Sundar Pichai, Google CEO who was also an immigrant from India, wrote on Twitter: “Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today. Disappointed by today’s proclamation - we’ll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all.”
“This proclamation undermines America’s greatest economic asset: its diversity. People from all over the world came here to join our labour force, pay taxes, and contribute to our global competitiveness on the world stage,” said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, Twitter’s VP of public policy and philanthropy for the Americas, to
Facebook shared the sentiment and one of its spokespersons said to NBC News: “In reality, restricting immigration would make it harder for the US economy to recover from the pandemic. President Trump’s latest proclamation uses the Covid-19 as justification for limiting immigration. In reality, the move to keep highly-skilled talent out of the US will make our country’s recovery even more difficult.
Microsoft
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took to Twitter and wrote: “Now is not the time to cut our nation off from the world’s talent or create uncertainty and anxiety. Immigrants play a vital role at our company and support our country’s critical infrastructure. They are contributing to this country at a time when we need them most.”
Tesla
Tesla and SpaceX CEO also tweeted on the microblogging site to show his disappointment and wrote: “Very much disagree with this action. In my experience, these skillsets are net job creators. Visa reform makes sense, but this is too broad.”
Amazon
"Preventing high skilled professionals from entering the country and contributing to America's economic recovery puts American's global competitiveness at risk. The value of high-skilled visa programmes is clear," an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider .