"As tech leaders across Silicon Valley blasted President Donald Trump's new $100,000 H-1B visa fee as a threat to innovation, Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings broke ranks, calling it "a great solution." In an X post on Sunday, Hastings said he has worked on H-1B politics for three decades and argued the steep cost would reserve visas for "very high-value jobs," eliminating the lottery and giving employers more certainty."
"Hastings' support is surprising for a few reasons. For one, as one of the biggest Democratic ' megadonors ' who is heavily involved with party politics, he rarely endorses any of Trump's actions and in fact has said the President "would destroy much of what is great about America." Secondly, Hastings' support cuts against the dominant mood in the tech industry, where most companies are alarmed about higher costs and the chilling effect on talent pipelines."
"Many local tech leaders have said that the six-figure fee could deal a serious blow to innovation and competitiveness in Silicon Valley. Venture capitalist Deedy Das, a former H-1B holder and partner at Menlo Ventures, warned that the policy undercuts America's biggest advantage: Its ability to attract global talent. "If you stifle even that, it just makes it that much harder to compete on a global level," he told CBS News."
Reed Hastings endorsed a proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee, saying it would reserve visas for very high-value jobs, eliminate the lottery, and give employers more certainty. Hastings has three decades of involvement in H-1B politics and is a major Democratic megadonor who has previously warned that the President could harm core American values. Many Silicon Valley leaders oppose the fee, warning it would increase costs, chill talent pipelines, and harm innovation and competitiveness. Venture capitalist Deedy Das said the policy undercuts America's advantage in attracting global talent and could shorten startup financial runways. The H-1B program, created in 1990, allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring technical or professional expertise.
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