Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt believes that Trump Administration’s proposed limits on H-1B visas are “the stupidest policy in the entire American political system.”
Speaking at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab on Wednesday, Schmidt said that such restrictions would make it difficult for U.S. firms to remain competitive, CNBC reported.
“We want the best people in the world, regardless of any form of sex, race, country, what-have-you. We want them to work for us and not our competitors,” Schmidt said.
According to the Alphabet executive, the U.S. should create opportunities for skilled workers to live and work in the country.
“We should organize our country to be the most attractive place for those people. Stupid government policies that restrict us from [having] a fair chance of getting those people are antithetical to our mission [and] the things we serve,” Schmidt said.
In addition, Schmidt called himself a ‘job elimination denier.’ He is not worried about artificial intelligence taking jobs.
“I’ve taken the position of ‘job elimination denier.’ I’ve just decided I’m going to be contrarian, because the data supports me, and it’s more fun to be in opposition anyway,” Schmidt said.
H-1B Visa System
The H-1B visa system is designed to allow American companies to hire skilled foreign workers for specialized jobs. It allows “U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary nonagricultural jobs,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Last month, President Trump signed an executive order to reform H-1B and other work visa programs. The order, titled Buy American and Hire American, is aimed at creating jobs for Americans. It directs federal agencies to review existing policies.
Meanwhile, Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) were down 0.47% in extended trading on Friday. GOOGL is up nearly 20% year-to-date.
Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is the parent company of search engine giant Google.
