4 ms·

The US needs way more software engineers than is has, and sky-high salaries are the evidence of this. I think we should make it easier for people to come and w

The US needs way more software engineers than is has, and sky-high salaries are the evidence of this. I think we should make it easier for people to come and work in the US. The existing H1B system works pretty well for employers and employees. When I hear people describe H1B immigrants as somehow taken advantage of, their experience seems far different than mine (I have never seen people mistreated by the system). The idea that this system makes it harder for native software engineers seems crazy to me. I know many software engineers and both the great ones and the terrible ones have no problem finding work.

hansvm 6y ago
The window to get kicked out of the country when layoffs happen is pretty narrow, even for people who have lived here for years. It presents a pretty heavy threat if abused because it might be hard to seal the deal on a new job (especially if you're even a little bit selective) before you suddenly become illegal.
- andrewmutz 6y ago
  From everything I've experienced in the tech industry the thing you've described is just hypothetical. Everyone I know on H1-B wages freely moves between jobs with no problems.
  - sg47 6y ago
    From the outside, it came seem like there are no problems. The process can be nerve-wracking. The interviews need to happen clandestinely because if your current employer finds out and fires you, you have to leave the country in 60 days. After weeks/months of interviewing, your new employer applies for a visa transfer. This process could take 3-4 weeks for application (again nerve-wracking if you are desperate to move), another 15 business days for the application to get adjudicated if you apply through premium processing. Under this administration, denials and Request For Evidence are being issued willy-nilly. So this 15 business days can end up being 30 or more. Again, the mental anguish can be hard if you really want to quit your current employer. Then 2 weeks after resigning. By the time you join your new employer, it could be 2-3 months. By law, one cannot take a break between jobs so you'll have to negotiate with your new employer if you need a break in between. H1B for people from India and China is indentured labor. Even as someone whose compensation is in top 0.5% in the US, it's extremely restrictive. I can't even imagine what the average H1B employee goes through.
mikewarot 6y ago
Does this mean the US needs way more CEOs and Board Members than it has, and the sky-high compensation packages are evidence of this as well? No, programmers are underpaid, deliberately. We just had a story all about it. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24689582 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24689582 It has been suggested by Eric Weinstein that the H1B visa was deliberately designed to cap wages of PhDs... this is a side-effect.
- andrewmutz 6y ago
  Sky-high executive compensation is absolutely a sign that the US needs way more competent executives. Restricting the supply of software engineers to the US will help software engineers at the expense of everyone else.
  - mikewarot 6y ago
    We just need to give the money to the people who actually create value, and the imbalance will sort itself out. Fair market capitalism is way better than the "Free" market.
arebop 6y ago
In my experience, H1B system works pretty differently for employers and employees depending on whether you're talking about an actual tech company vs. the IT department of an industrial age company.

hansvm 6y ago

The window to get kicked out of the country when layoffs happen is pretty narrow, even for people who have lived here for years. It presents a pretty heavy threat if abused because it might be hard to seal the deal on a new job (especially if you're even a little bit selective) before you suddenly become illegal.

andrewmutz 6y ago
From everything I've experienced in the tech industry the thing you've described is just hypothetical. Everyone I know on H1-B wages freely moves between jobs with no problems.
- sg47 6y ago
  From the outside, it came seem like there are no problems. The process can be nerve-wracking. The interviews need to happen clandestinely because if your current employer finds out and fires you, you have to leave the country in 60 days. After weeks/months of interviewing, your new employer applies for a visa transfer. This process could take 3-4 weeks for application (again nerve-wracking if you are desperate to move), another 15 business days for the application to get adjudicated if you apply through premium processing. Under this administration, denials and Request For Evidence are being issued willy-nilly. So this 15 business days can end up being 30 or more. Again, the mental anguish can be hard if you really want to quit your current employer. Then 2 weeks after resigning. By the time you join your new employer, it could be 2-3 months. By law, one cannot take a break between jobs so you'll have to negotiate with your new employer if you need a break in between. H1B for people from India and China is indentured labor. Even as someone whose compensation is in top 0.5% in the US, it's extremely restrictive. I can't even imagine what the average H1B employee goes through.

mikewarot 6y ago

Does this mean the US needs way more CEOs and Board Members than it has, and the sky-high compensation packages are evidence of this as well? No, programmers are underpaid, deliberately. We just had a story all about it. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24689582 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24689582 It has been suggested by Eric Weinstein that the H1B visa was deliberately designed to cap wages of PhDs... this is a side-effect.

andrewmutz 6y ago
Sky-high executive compensation is absolutely a sign that the US needs way more competent executives. Restricting the supply of software engineers to the US will help software engineers at the expense of everyone else.
- mikewarot 6y ago
  We just need to give the money to the people who actually create value, and the imbalance will sort itself out. Fair market capitalism is way better than the "Free" market.

arebop 6y ago

In my experience, H1B system works pretty differently for employers and employees depending on whether you're talking about an actual tech company vs. the IT department of an industrial age company.