Politics
Y Combinator partner draws criticism from Trump officials over H-1B visa comments
Ankit Gupta faced backlash after calling Vice President JD Vance's focus on hiring American workers 'DEI' following a proposed $103,265 visa petition fee.
The short version
- Y Combinator general partner Ankit Gupta mocked Vice President JD Vance's call to prioritize American workers, comparing it to "DEI" (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs.
- Multiple Trump administration officials publicly condemned the remarks, arguing that tech firms use H-1B visas to exploit cheap foreign labor at the expense of American citizens.
- The controversy follows a proposed Trump administration rule that would levy a $103,265 fee on many new H-1B visa petitions.
Key facts
- The Trump administration recently proposed a $103,265 fee for many new H-1B visa petitions, which are widely used by the tech industry to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations.[Fox News]
- Ankit Gupta, a general partner at Silicon Valley startup accelerator Y Combinator, mocked Vice President JD Vance's calls to prioritize hiring Americans over foreign labor, posting on social media that "in a win for the woke left DEI is back."[Fox News]
- Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon publicly criticized Gupta's remarks.[Fox News]
- Y Combinator President and CEO Garry Tan distanced the firm from the remarks, posting that "YC supports hiring and funding Americans."[Fox News]