United States president Donald Trump's decision to temporarily block foreign workers entering on H-1B visas elicited a strong response from key players in the Silicon Valley, including Google chief Sundar Pichai, who called the decision “disappointing” in a tweet.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Tesla CEO Elon Musk also spoke out on similar lines.
"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," the India-born CEO wrote on Twitter around 4am on Tuesday.
By 11am, Pichai, who has over 2.9 million followers on the microblogging platform, also became one of the top trends in India, with several Indian users sharing his tweet. H-1B was also one of the top trends on Tuesday.
The sentiments were also echoed by others in the tech industry. Microsoft president Brad Smith 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."
Twitter, too, put out a statement, calling the order "short-sighted". "Statement on US high-skilled immigration proclamation: This proclamation undermines America’s greatest economic asset: its diversity. People from all over the world come here to join our labor force, pay taxes, and contribute to our global competitiveness on the world stage. Unilaterally and unnecessarily stifling America’s attractiveness to global, high-skilled talent is short-sighted and deeply damaging to the economic strength of the United States," the company's verified handle @Policy tweeted. The post was retweeted by CEO Jack Dorsey.
SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, while reacting to a story about Trump's executive order, 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."
Susan Wojcicki, CEO of Alphabet-owned YouTube also backed Pichai in a tweet posted around 8.30am. "Immigration is central to America's story, and it's central to my own family's story. My family escaped danger and found a new home in America. @sundarpichai is right - at @YouTube, we join Google in standing with immigrants and working to expand opportunity for all," she wrote.
E-learning platform Coursera's co-founder Andrew NG tweeted, "The suspension of the H1B visa program is bad for the US, bad for innovation, and will shatter dreams and disrupt lives. As a former H1B visa holder, my heart goes out to all the families affected."