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US tech co-founder says he'll pay $100,000 per day for H-1B talent: 'Will set up recurring payment'
Metaview AI co-founder Shahriar Tajbakhsh said that he would pay $100,000-per-day H-1B visa fee if it meant hiring the best global talent.
A US-based tech co-founder has brushed aside concerns over a proposed steep hike in H-1B visa fees, saying he would gladly pay $100,000 per day if it meant hiring the best global talent.
Shahriar Tajbakhsh, co-founder and chief technology officer of London-headquartered Metaview AI, remarked while responding to an X post that suggested the H-1B visa fee should be set at $100,000 annually rather than as a one-time payment. “Make it per day. I’ll set up a recurring payment,” Tajbakhsh wrote, arguing that visa costs are insignificant compared to the value skilled workers add to companies.
His comments come amid growing anti-H-1B sentiment in the US and a social media debate triggered by Metaview’s hiring campaign in India. In bold text, the ads read, “Yes, we still sponsor H-1Bs” and “No, AI won’t build itself.”
(Also Read: ‘Forget the H1B grind’: Ex-NRI explains why moving to Hyderabad was the right choice)
Tajbakhsh explains why $100k H-1B fee doesn’t matter
Notably, Tajbakhsh, an Iranian-origin entrepreneur and engineer, has been vocal about prioritising talent over cost-cutting when building technology companies. “When you sum up the value created by people’s hard work, $100,000 just doesn’t matter,” he said in an earlier interview with Business Insider.
“The only way to build anything meaningful that changes people’s lives is to have a world-class team. Trying to save money on talent is the most irresponsible thing a founder could possibly do,” he told the outlet.
Tajbakhsh also downplayed the focus on visa fees, saying that the real determinant of a company’s success is its people. He added that Metaview plans to file more H-1B petitions in the next lottery, even as US President Donald Trump’s executive order seeks to tighten visa norms. “An organisation’s success or failure is a function of its people,” Tajbakhsh said.
