Abstract:
U.S. President Trump on Thursday honored technology billionaires for their contributions to the United States, just hours after Microsoft, led by one of the honorees, was accused by Vice President Vance of abusing the visa system to bring in more foreign workers. Notably, five of the six technology leaders honored are immigrants.
Ahead of a ceremony honoring Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Vice President J.D. Vance announced at a press conference that Microsoft would be suspended from participating in a program that allows companies to apply for green cards for foreign skilled workers holding H-1B visas.
The crackdown on Microsoft highlights the tension between the companies that drive U.S. economic growth and the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The Trump team maintains the government's ability to identify outstanding immigrants who could lead pioneering businesses, while arguing that hiring foreigners of mediocre ability hurts American workers.
Vance said at a press conference: "Our message to Microsoft is: You are a great American company, but you have to hire great American workers." He accused Microsoft of abusing the visa system and said: "You cannot lay off American workers and replace them with foreign indentured labor."
Vance said that Microsoft laid off 6,000 U.S. employees last year, but at the same time obtained 6,300 H-1B visas and nearly 3,000 green cards.
Microsoft, headquartered in Redmond, Washington, has 223,000 employees worldwide. The company said in a statement that the majority of H-1B visa petitions filed last fiscal year were for "extending visas or changing status for existing Microsoft employees."
However, when presenting the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Microsoft’s CEO, Trump took a more appreciative attitude and did not mention the issue of Microsoft’s employment of foreign workers.
Trump said: "Satya Nadella has been a key figure in Microsoft's transformation for more than three decades. He has driven innovation at the company and empowered businesses, students and consumers around the world with some of the most powerful software ever created."
When asked about this seemingly contradictory stance, Vance said: "We will continue to support Microsoft and maintain a good relationship with Microsoft."
Five of the six technology leaders to receive the Presidential Medal for Achievement in Science and Technology were born outside the United States.
Trump awarded the National Medal of Science to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, and semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO Lisa Su. They were all born overseas: Musk was born in South Africa, Brin was born in Russia, and Jen-Hsun Huang and Lisa Su were born in Taiwan, China.
In addition to Nadella, Trump also awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell. Dell had funded a special government investment account for children, the so-called "Trump Account." Dell was born in Texas, while Nadella immigrated to the United States from India.
Nadella later expressed his gratitude to Trump on social media.
He posted: "I am deeply honored to be recognized side by side with so many American innovation giants. I look forward to our ability to continue to work together to advance technological development and promote American prosperity in the future."
Trump called the winner a "national treasure"
Trump called the group of billionaires "national treasures" and compared them to his uncle, John Trump. John Trump is an electrical engineer and former MIT professor who received the National Medal of Science in 1983.
Trump said: "Today is a very significant day in the world of science and technology. This is the most important day. You will be recorded in history as great figures."
This recognition event is part of a summit celebrating a new "golden age" of scientific development. Trump has repeatedly praised the work of these entrepreneurs in accelerating the development of artificial intelligence technology, which he calls "superintelligence."
Trump increasingly hopes that artificial intelligence technology can help realize his economic agenda and promote the United States to maintain its leading position in this field. At the same time, he resisted calls for more regulation because he feared they would stifle technological development.
Trump also joked to the guests attending the event: "Our audience today has a very high IQ, which is rare to see."
The National Medal of Science was established in 1959. Past recipients have been mainly academics and researchers rather than business leaders. The ceremony to honor business leaders coincides with the Nobel Prize awards held this week.
Last week, Huang and Musk also appeared at the White House to sign a voluntary agreement with other technology leaders on artificial intelligence development. Previously, some recently launched artificial intelligence models have raised national security and technological security concerns.
With less than a month to go until the November midterm elections, Trump is also trying to highlight to voters how investments in artificial intelligence data centers and related computer equipment have driven the stock market to record highs and further increased the net worth of wealthier Americans.
But that message doesn't always sit well with voters. Polls show that voters of both parties are worried about the rapid development of artificial intelligence, and the high prices of daily necessities such as gasoline and groceries have also weakened many Americans' confidence in the economic prospects.
Vance also said that many universities, including Stanford University and MIT, should be investigated for suspected visa fraud. Huang and Brin both have degrees from Stanford University, while Su has multiple degrees from MIT.
The White House recognized Thursday's recipients for their contributions.
"These winners are helping to ensure that the United States continues to lead the world in innovation," White House spokesperson Liz Houston said.
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