Thread: Microsoft's Gates warns US industry at risk

Microsoft's Gates warns US industry at risk

(Washington-Dow Jones/-AP) March 7, 2007 - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates tells a Senate panel that US industry is at risk of losing its competitive advantage.

Gates cited figures that the US has a low rate of high school graduation relative to many other countries. He told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee that immigration policy is keeping some of the world's best talent from coming to the US.

Gates says he sees the impact almost every day at Microsoft.

In particular, Gates is critical of a visa program for college-educated, non-immigrant workers. He says the number of visas granted under the H-1-B program run out quicker every year. Gates says the ability to recruit much-needed talent is damaged, as result.

On a positive note, Gates said US universities are still regarded as the best in the world. He says the opportunity for innovation in the computer and health fields is much greater than most people realize.

Posted 11:31am by Bryce Mursch

http://www.wistv.com/global/story.asp?s=6191431

In particular, Gates is critical of a visa program for college-educated, non-immigrant workers. He says the number of visas granted under the H-1-B program run out quicker every year. Gates says the ability to recruit much-needed talent is damaged, as result.

Are you telling me he can't recruit talent from the US??? I don't believe it! This is just another push for globalization!

Originally Posted by olivermyboy

In particular, Gates is critical of a visa program for college-educated, non-immigrant workers. He says the number of visas granted under the H-1-B program run out quicker every year. Gates says the ability to recruit much-needed talent is damaged, as result.

Are you telling me he can't recruit talent from the US??? I don't believe it! This is just another push for globalization!

My thoughts exactly and no mention of the fact that all these millions of unassimilated immigrants and illegal aliens flooding our country have helped to dumb down our schools. We wouldn't want little Lupita or Juan to have low esteem because they cannot keep up with the little gringo kids,..... SO let's lower the standards and let em all speak spanish!

Once again Gates is exploiting the difference in US vs. third world education systems. It's not that they don't graduate in India, it's that many of them were never sent in the first place. Whereas the US makes a real effort to educate everybody, hence the drain on our schools from illegals. We can't turn them away.

Gates is scamming Congress. He has been pressing them for ages to double the H1B cap. What he doesn't tell you is that our government has already been approving double the number of H1Bs (shown in a report to Congress a month ago that was not made public!!!).

And, universities have NO cap on hiring H1Bs.

It's a scam, and our government is complicit in this.

Does BILDO realize that if he tried paying better wages, he'd probably get more US IT professionals?
How greedy can you possibly get? This tightwad is worth more than $40 billion dollars, and yet somehow he can't compete without all his lowpaid low skilled labor???
This article screams out the microsoft GREED in huge plain letters.

Have you seen the quality of so called IT engineers from other underdeveloped or developing countries? Their assoc. degree knowledge level ranks with Americans' sophmore students.

Many of us have had to call a tech support line for a computer or software at one time or another. Even as computer savy as I am, on (rare) occasion I've had to call in, and the microsoft staff is the most imcompetant bunch of idiots I've ever dealt with next to Dell.
And this is how he thanks the country which made helped him in his success.
Gates, you're pathetic, and you're product is the worst OS on the market!

That is true, at least 20K extra above the cap for businesses, and yes, it is unlimited for higher ed and some other entities. There is also no monitoring of H-1b visa overstays - they are not rounded up by ICE. I knew of them going for barrista jobs when they were supposed to be out of the country in 10 days once they fell 'out of status.'

Jaded - I just love the avatar btw.

Bill Gates: blah, blah, whine, whine, the sky is falling, the sky is falling!

Remember: H1B's make good slaves - workers are essentially 'hooked' to one employer and the worker's continued presences in the country depends solely on that employer (it's possible to change, but it's not easy)

In short: 'I want more SLAVES!!!'. It's the same old, same old.

Oh, also y'all want to guess who the chair is for that committee (HELP-Health,Education,Labor and <something else>)?
Yep, you guessed right - our 'favorite' senator from Massachusettes[with due sarcasm]. How nice - billionaires meeting with billionaires to decide important federal policy affecting millions of ordinary working people.
I just fear the idiots in the Senate will fall for the BS.

Dobbs website mentions the committee meeting in the overview of today's show.

Here's how nasty one international bodyshop got with their H-1bs and L-1s: http://www.lieffcabraser.com/lawsuitagainsttata.htm

Thanks Betsy. Wow, I'm not surprised. Signing over a person's tax refund.


I'm impressed. You're very knowledgeable on all the work Visa issues and a terrific resources to have here on the boards too! (my way of saying 'I wish I knew all that...'!)