To be completely accurate, H1-Bs are attached to an existing company. You can transfer your H1-B to another company, as long as that company is will to spend ti

To be completely accurate, H1-Bs are attached to an existing company. You can transfer your H1-B to another company, as long as that company is will to spend time (a couple of months) and money (several thousand dollars) to sponsor your H1-B. You cannot, however, start your own company. H1-Bs are, as the blog post says, a huge barrier to employee mobility and the creation of startups. Another common type of visa in the valley is the L1. Big companies like Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, who have foreign subsidiaries, hire people in those countries. After they have worked in the foreign office for a year they can apply for the L1, which is an "internal transfer". This allows them to work in the US, but only for that company. You cannot ever work another company than the original sponsor of your L1. This really is indentured servitude (though of course it's usually quite well paid).