Microsoft President Brad Smith has warned the Trump administration that restricting skilled immigrants’ path to permanent residency could weaken the US technology sector and drive top talent to other countries, days after the government moved to block Microsoft and seven other companies from seeking green cards for foreign workers.
In an exclusive interview with Politico’s Decoded, Smith rejected Vice President JD Vance’s allegations that Microsoft misused the H-1B visa program to hire foreign workers at lower salaries. He argued that the crackdown could undermine America’s ability to attract engineers and other highly skilled professionals, particularly in artificial intelligence.
“We should all be worried about sending — intentionally or inadvertently or otherwise — signals that send the most talented next wave of AI [or] SI software engineers to other countries, rather than the United States,” Smith told Politico during the International AI Summit in Dublin, Ireland.
His remarks came less than a week after Vance announced that the administration would bar Microsoft and seven other companies from seeking green cards for their skilled foreign workers.
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Microsoft rejects visa fraud allegations
{{/usCountry}}Also read: US immigration fee hike takes effect today: Who faces higher charges and what it means for Indians
Microsoft rejects visa fraud allegations
{{/usCountry}}Vance accused Microsoft of abusing the H-1B program to avoid hiring American workers at higher salaries. Smith rejected the allegations, describing them as “completely off base”.
The Microsoft executive said someone had failed to provide Vance with accurate information about the company’s employment and immigration figures. He argued that the vast majority of Microsoft’s green card applications involved long-serving employees rather than new hires.
The applications reflected the lengthy backlog in the US permanent residency system, Smith said.
“Unfortunately, it’s just because the green card backlog is so long,” he said.
Smith also disputed claims that Microsoft paid foreign-born employees less than American workers. He said the company applied the same compensation system regardless of an employee’s immigration status.
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Microsoft hired more than 9,000 US-born workers last year, Smith added, arguing that the figure had been overlooked in the administration’s criticism.
“We will stand by our record,” he said, urging White House officials to reconsider what he described as a more accurate account of the company’s hiring practices.
Smith warns of risks to US technology sector
Smith pointed to the contributions of immigrants to American innovation, stating that five of the six Americans honored by President Donald Trump with technology and science medals had immigrated to the United States.
Together with their companies, those individuals accounted for more than 25% of the total market value of the S&P 500, Smith said.
“Let’s not put that at risk,” he added, warning that restrictions on skilled immigration could jeopardize the economic benefits created by immigrant entrepreneurs and technology leaders.
The dispute highlights tensions between the administration’s efforts to tighten employment-based immigration and the technology industry’s demand for specialized workers.
While criticizing the immigration measures, Smith praised some of the administration’s AI policies, including export controls imposed on Anthropic’s new AI models, illustrating Microsoft’s support for certain technology initiatives despite its disagreement with the White House over skilled immigration.