US President Donald Trump honoured the India-origin Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella just hours after US Vice President JD Vance announced the freezing of green cards for Microsoft and other IT firms.
“There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused the system more than Microsoft ,” Vance said in a press conference. Hours later, Trump presented Nadella with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
During a White House briefing, the vice president claimed that Microsoft had laid off 6,000 American workers last year, adding that the company benefited from 6,300 H-1B temporary worker visas and nearly 3,000 green cards.
“For more than three decades, @satyanadella (Satya Nadella) has been a key figure in the transformation of Microsoft — revolutionizing the company and empowering businesses, students, and consumers from all over the world with some of the most capable software ever built,” Trump said during the event. The company shared a note with a tweet that reads, “Microsoft comment on recent immigration questions.” Trump’s speech, which was later posted on White House’s official rapid response account, prompted a reaction from the Indian-origin tech leader. In addition to Microsoft, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Infosys Ltd., Tata, Wipro Ltd., HCL Technologies Ltd., and Capgemini SE. are also in H-1B trouble.
