As anecdata from personal experience: It is possible to both get a job in Silicon Valley without a degree and an O-1 visa. I'm just one data point, but I think

As anecdata from personal experience: It is possible to both get a job in Silicon Valley without a degree and an O-1 visa. I'm just one data point, but I think having gone to college for a few years is the important advantage, not the degree itself. I did the former, never ended up having time for the latter. Too busy solving people's real world business problems in return for cold hard cash. But I also started coding when I was 9 and started coding for money when I was 16 and still in high school. Your mileage may vary.