Microsoft President Warns Curbs on Eight Firms Could Cripple Tech Sector

Microsoft President Brad Smith warned that restricting green-card access for skilled foreign workers could weaken U.S. technological competitiveness and push engineers toward other countries. He said blocking permanent-residency pathways could cripple the technology sector for more than a generation, and urged the administration to reconsider its restrictions on Microsoft and seven other companies. Smith rejected Vice President JD Vance’s claims that Microsoft misused the H-1B program to avoid hiring Americans, saying the company uses the same pay system regardless of immigration status and hired more than 9,000 U.S.-born workers last year.