On October 20-22, by the banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River, the 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference returns once again. Nobel Prize and Turing Award winners will take the stage to discuss the future and trends of technology, and the internet-famous professors who "rescue" people from anxiety and the era of involution — Macfarlane and Xiang Biao — will engage in a live dialogue! Limited seats available, first come first served. Let us journey together toward sustainability! [Click to register]
Microsoft (ASX: MSFT) Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith on Wednesday launched a fierce attack on the Donald Trump administration's attempt to block high-skilled immigrants from obtaining permanent residency, warning the White House that the plan could deal a severe blow to the US tech industry, with effects lasting more than a generation.
In an interview, the man effectively serving as Microsoft's number two said it was ironic that the White House was honoring Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella while simultaneously targeting the company's foreign-born employees; Nadella himself is a former H-1B high-skilled visa holder from India.
Speaking to Decoded on the sidelines of the International AI Summit in Dublin, Ireland, Smith said: "We should take note of one fact: the President awarded medals in technology and science to six Americans, five of whom came to the United States as immigrants. If you combine those five individuals and the companies they founded, those companies have a total market capitalization exceeding 25% of the total market cap of all companies in the S&P 500 index."
He continued: "Think about the contributions those five people have made to the well-being, wealth, and standard of living of all Americans. We should not put all of that at risk."
Smith gave this exclusive interview less than a week after Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration would bar Microsoft and seven other companies from applying for green cards on behalf of their foreign high-skilled employees. Vance also accused Microsoft of fraud, claiming the tech giant abused the H-1B high-skilled worker visa program and deliberately avoided hiring more expensive American workers.
Smith emphasized his concern that this policy crackdown would weaken America's ability to attract top tech talent. "I think all of us should be wary that, whether intentionally or not, policies like this send a signal that the next generation of the very best AI and software engineers should go to other countries rather than come to America."
Compared to Microsoft's official statement last week, Smith took a firmer stance in this interview. He directly refuted Vance's visa fraud allegations, calling the Vice President's claims "completely untenable." He said someone had "failed to accurately report our data to the Vice President," noting that the vast majority of Microsoft's green card applications are filed for long-tenured existing employees, not new hires.
"It's really just because the green card backlog is so long," Smith said. The Microsoft executive also denied that the company pays foreign employees lower wages: "Whether you come to America on a visa or you're an American-born employee, everyone is on the same compensation system." He also complained that Microsoft hired more than 9,000 American-born employees last year, a point deliberately ignored in the White House narrative.
Smith said: "We are willing to have our track record examined. We hope the White House will take another look and see what we believe is a more accurate full picture."
When asked about Smith's remarks, a White House spokesperson did not immediately respond. Last week, tech lobbying groups worried that the high-skilled immigration crackdown would harm US tech competitiveness, and the Vice President's office spokesperson also declined to comment at that time.
The interview covered a wide range of topics, and while Smith sharply criticized the White House, he also offered high praise for some White House policies. He also mentioned that Microsoft supports strict AI regulatory rules and a global AI safety mechanism. Regarding the White House's export controls this summer targeting Anthropic's new AI model, Smith said: "I highly commend that."
"Which government in the world took the most decisive action in 2026 to halt a product launch to safeguard public safety? It wasn't Brussels — it was Washington DC, it was the White House, it was the team under the US President."
Comments