The H-1B visa program, launched in 1990, has served as a key pathway for global tech leaders to establish their roots and shape innovation in the United States. Prominent names such as Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Aravind Srinivas, Eric Yuan, Jyoti Bansal, and Arvind Krishna all once held H-1B visas. Their trajectories—founding or leading major tech firms—highlight the program’s role in fueling developments in AI, cloud computing, and consumer technology.
Recently, a sweeping change introduced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications—stirring concerns across industries about how accessible skilled US workforce entry will be in the future. There’s rising debate over how this cost hike may affect startups, innovation hubs, and the ability of talent from abroad to contribute to America’s tech ecosystem.
For those who built their careers under the H-1B framework, the visa has been more than just a work permit. It has enabled early-career opportunities, transitions into senior leadership, entrepreneurship, and global impact. Despite the new challenges, the impact of past H-1B holders remains evident in the companies they’ve created or guided and the shifts in technology that they helped bring about.
