Anthony D’Esposito, the inspector general of the Department of Labor, once again targeted Microsoft after he chose to share a video of a Microsoft boss explaining to his staff the Green Card situation of the company. Microsoft’s Green Card program has been suspended by the administration, which accused the company of Green Card abuse. The company denied the allegations. In his internal question-and-answer session, Scott Guthrie, the executive vice president of the Cloud and AI group at Microsoft, said the company wants to bring more talent into the United States.“On the most recent announcements, we are working with the US administration to get clarity because we said publicly that…I encourage you to see Brad Smith’s comments…you know that we are not sure that everyone’s looked at the right data…with some of the comments that were made last month. And we are working to share what we see in the data and explain things… the most important thing is that we work with the individuals. Because every individual that’s on a visa or has applied for a visa or a Green Card, everyone’s situation is slightly different. It’s super important that we take care of the people,” Guthrie said adding that if someone has been impacted, they should reach out to HR.
What Microsoft said after Green Card suspension
Microsoft said the company has a rigorous process for PERM jobs and they did not violate any rule.“We believe in the strength and talent of the American workforce. That is why the vast majority of Microsoft employees in the United States are Americans.“We look forward to providing the Administration with additional information. For example, of the approximately 6,000 H-1B visa applications we submitted in the last fiscal year, 80% were to extend or change the status of existing Microsoft employees. These were not to hire new people. The remaining filings for new employees were for individuals already legally in the United States who decided to come work for us, and they equal only 1% of our U.S. workforce. They are not new arrivals to our country.“Microsoft only files H-1B petitions for those who meet the rigorous standards of this visa category. We pay our employees some of the highest compensation in the tech sector, and our wages are among the highest of all H-1B filings. We pay our H-1B employees the same as any other employees doing comparable work.“Microsoft succeeds as a global technology leader by developing the world’s best technology workforce. We do this by strengthening this country’s talent pipeline, hiring American workers, and attracting the best talent from around the world.”
What did Brad Smith say?
Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith said the Trump administration’s move sent across a wrong message. “I think we should all be worried about sending — intentionally or inadvertently or otherwise — signals that send the most talented next wave of AI [or] SI software engineers to other countries, rather than the United States,” he said adding that Vice President JD Vance did not have the right data about Microsoft’s Green Card sponsorships.
‘Don’t screw American workers’
D’Esposito reacted to Guthrie’s internal message about seeking clarity and doubled down on the fact that the administration has been very clear. “Don’t screw American workers. Don’t use visa programs as a back door into our nation. We were clear. You were hoping we were kidding. We’re not,” he said.
