Trump’s AI Policy Advisor Sriram Krishnan Sparks Immigration Debate
The recent appointment of Chennai-born Sriram Krishnan as the senior policy advisor for Artificial Intelligence in the Trump administration has drawn the ire of several right-wing activists, reigniting a debate over skilled immigration.
Earlier in November, Mr. Krishnan tweeted the need to remove country caps for green cards, which is limiting the influx of skilled techies from India. Currently, there is a 7% cap per country for green cards, resulting in a significant backlog.
Elon Musk, who is leading Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has come out in support of Mr. Krishnan, advocating for the loosening of country caps for skilled immigration, calling the policy ‘racist.’
He tweeted, ‘The “fixed pie” fallacy is at the heart of much wrong-headed economic thinking. There is essentially infinite potential for job and company creation. Think of all the things that didn’t exist 20 or 30 years ago.’
This sentiment was echoed in tech circles, where several others voiced their support. Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of cloud storage firm Box, tweeted, ‘The most important technical concepts in AI have been introduced by groups comprised mostly of immigrants. America should not take this for granted.’
Mr. Krishnan’s appointment and the dialogue around skilled immigration have split the Trump’s MAGA and tech supporters. Right-wing political commentator Richard Hanania expressed, ‘The right-wing civil war is going to be over Indians. The populists hate all immigration.’
Josiah Lippincott, a right-wing political researcher, tweeted against possible policy changes, stating, ‘The flood of Indian H-1B visas that Silicon Valley will import over the next five years will do to the White middle class what Mexican migration and outsourcing did to White working-class Americans.’
To bridge the gap between both factions, Adam D’Angelo, co-founder of Quora, suggested framing the discussion as ‘how we get the best people on our team so we can win’ instead of labeling it as a race issue.
Published – December 26, 2024 01:16 pm IST
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