An Indian-origin tech leader in Canada says that before blaming H-1B companies, Americans should ask companies why they hire H-1B companies.
An Indian-origin founder in Canada commented on the rampant targeting of H-1B visa holders in the US and explained that the situation is more complex than MAGA envisioned. It’s not as simple as millions of Indians randomly wake up one day, book flights to America and then start getting jobs meant for Americans, said Vijayan Swaminathan, an Indian-origin tech pioneer in Canada.“These are not random people picked off the street,” Swaminathan said. “They are often engineers who have spent years working on the specific product the company relies on.”“In many cases, US companies themselves have spent years and millions of dollars building offshore development centers, either directly or through partner companies,” he said. “Some projects become so deadline-driven and market-sensitive that bringing in an engineer or engineers who already understand the systems, architecture and business logic becomes the quickest and most efficient option.”
Ask your companies why they hire Indians
Since Swaminathan took issue with the apparent hatred shown by Texas whistleblower Sara Gonzalez towards H-1B holders, he said it is a fair question to ask why a particular job was not given to an American and was instead offered to an Indian. But the question should be directed to the companies making those hiring decisions, not to the individual worker who came to the United States leaving his family — and this process is generally initiated by the American company.
Americans love Indian mangoes
Swaminathan said that Americans enjoy Indian mangoes and butter chicken, while the rest of the world enjoys Hollywood and American innovation, and this is what should happen in globalization. H-1B family members who came to the United States may have grown up watching Hollywood movies. After watching a movie back home, they may have celebrated the weekend with Pizza Hut or KFC with their families, contributing to American business long before they set foot in the country.
“Little did he know that the so-called ‘American Dream’ was not meant for a brown person from India,” he wrote.
