Letters to the Editor: Smart Immigrants Yes, but H1-Bs Are No Panacea – WSJ.com
Letters to the Editor: Smart Immigrants Yes, but H1-Bs Are No Panacea – WSJ.com.
Paul Kedrosky and Brad Feld assert that we should make it easy for immigrants to move here in order to create start-ups by stapling green cards to the degrees of foreign students and easing H1-B restrictions (“Start-up Visas Can Jump-Start the Economy,” Dec. 2). In support of their argument that immigrants are entrepreneurial, they list several start-ups founded by immigrants, including Google, Pfizer, Intel, Yahoo, DuPont, eBay, and Procter & Gamble. However, a closer look at these examples proves very enlightening. Three of these immigrant-founded start-ups were created in the 19th century. Andy Grove of Intel, a Hungarian immigrant, was not the founder of Intel. That honor goes to two Americans, Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce. Mr. Grove originally joined the company as an employee. Of the remaining companies, all of their founders immigrated to the U.S. with their families as young children. Google’s co-founder (with an American) Sergey Brin left Moscow with his family at age 6; Yahoo co-founder (with an American) Jerry Yang left Taiwan at age 8; eBay’s founder, Pierre Omidyar, emigrated from France at age 6.
Note that none of these immigrants was on an H1-B or even a student visa. Essentially, the “immigrant” entrepreneurs whom the authors so admire were raised as Americans and were co-founders of businesses with Americans.
Mara Alexander
Alexandria, Va.
Messrs. Kedrosky and Feld’s appeal to allow would-be immigrant entrepreneurs and technical grads to enrich our economy with fast-track visas is spot on. I would add that we should also allow investors, holders of advanced degrees, and in-demand skilled professionals, regardless of their country of origin, to be fast-tracked also. They are most likely to enrich our country. We allow special consideration for compassionate reasons such as family reunification and amnesty from abusive regimes, even though they may be net revenue drains on our economy via social services, schools and prisons. Why not allow in those immigrants w
ho will create jobs through investment, innovation and valuable education or technical skills which they’ve acquired by becoming successful and who want to take a chance on us?
Debra Janssen-Martinez
Los Gatos, Calif.