Microsoft president warns Trump's immigration crackdown could drive top AI talent abroad

If America wants to win the AI race, sending the world's brightest engineers packing power not be a winning strategy.

That's the alert from Microsoft President Brad Smith, who stated the Trump administration's immigration crackdown risks driving the next generation of AI endowment distant from the United States.

"I think we should all be concerned concerning sending intentionally or inadvertently or otherwise, signals that dispatch the most gifted next motion of AI application engineers to another countries fairly than the United States," Smith stated in an event of Politico's "The Decoded Podcast" that aired on Thursday.

His comments arrive following the Trump administration announced final week that it was suspending Microsoft, Adobe, and multiple another innovation companies from a national program that sponsors abroad workers for imperishable residency.

Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft of abusing the Permanent Labor Certification, or PERM, program by laying off American employees during hiring lower-paid abroad workers.

Smith, who Business Insider reported was lately put in accusation of Microsoft's communications, pushed rear against those allegations, saying the administration had presented a misleading image of Microsoft's hiring practices.

"What was presented as Microsoft replacing 6,000 group who misplaced their jobs alongside 9,000 foreigners was frankly entirely off base," he said.

Smith stated most of the company's visa and green cardstock applications concerned existing workforce fairly than new hires, adding that Microsoft had hired 9,200 American workers in its final financial year.

"That was remaining out of the narrative," he said.

He additionally rejected suggestions that Microsoft pays abroad workers small than their American counterparts, saying workforce are compensated under the identical scheme despite of immigration status.

The American dream, on hold

The disagreement comes amid expanding doubt for skilled abroad workers in the US.

Business Insider earlier reported that the Trump administration's shifting immigration policies have prompted several global workers to explore opportunities abroad, including in countries akin the UK, Germany, and Canada.

An inspection of national data by Business Insider established that certified H-1B applications cut 10% in the archetypal nine months of financial twelvemonth 2026 compared alongside the identical duration a twelvemonth earlier. Applications for data scientists, however, rosy 22.5%, highlighting continued petition for specialized AI talent.

On the Politico podcast, Smith cited immigrants' financial contributions as evidence of what America stands to lose.

He stated that five of the six innovation and discipline award recipients lately honored by President Donald Trump had immigrated to the United States.

According to Smith, the companies connected alongside those five individuals collectively portray additional than a fourth of the S&P 500's market value.

Their contributions, he said, advantage not fair innovation workforce but average Americans whose withdrawal funds and pension finances are invested in those businesses.

"Think concerning what those five individuals have done for the fine being, equal the prosperity and norm of living, of Americans throughout the country," Smith said.

"Let's not put that at risk."