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Study: Immigrants Founded 51% of U.S. Billion-Dollar Startups

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Re: Study: Immigrants Founded 51% of U.S. Billion-Dollar Startups

#51
This is true but it needs perspective, and I am by no means anti-immigrant. I'm actually a pretty open border person, and am 100% against Trump's proposals (though perhaps there are some instances of H1B being abuse [see Disney].) However, this study should have a big caveat, for starters there are significantly more tax benefits for starting a business if you are an immigrant. Secondly, immigrants don't have entrenched interests or preoccupations that would otherwise give them a very high opportunity cost to starting their own business. So the start-up industry is a bit skewed in favor of immigrants naturally.

I would love for us to equal the playing field, not by blocking immigrants, but by leveling the field on tax benefits and subsidies (ideally getting rid of subsidies and flattening the structure) and have reforms that lower the opportunity cost of all Americans that allows them to start their own business. There are way more reforms needed too outside of that, which everyone already has to deal with in regards to starting a business.

So, imo, the complaint or point here shouldn't be that immigrants are better, or Americans are worse or there's only so much of the pie etc...it should be that we need reforms that makes it easier for everyone to start a business.

Re: Study: Immigrants Founded 51% of U.S. Billion-Dollar Startups

#53

One of the basic premises of anti-immigrant policies is that you can somehow influence the ratio of "useful" vs "not-useful" immigrants. Apart from the idea of sorting people into useful and useless being inhumane, it also seems to be counterproductive. It looks like every kind of screening of immigrants will deter the more desirable ones, as far as that determination is possible on their arrival at all.

[deleted]

Re: Study: Immigrants Founded 51% of U.S. Billion-Dollar Startups

#54
post #42

One of the basic premises of anti-immigrant policies is that you can somehow influence the ratio of "useful" vs "not-useful" immigrants. Apart from the idea of sorting people into useful and useless being inhumane, it also seems to be counterproductive. It looks like every kind of screening of immigrants will deter the more desirable ones, as far as that determination is possible on their arrival at all.

And this matters because individual productivity is a log-normal distribution, like VC returns. As a country it's a good investment to invite millions of immigrants trying to find the next major inventor. I suppose this also relies on national productivity being the product of, not the sum of individuals​ productivity.

It seems to make that cuts the other way. What is the cost of integrating and potentially supporting a million immigrants compared to the return from one billion dollar startup? (Especially when we're talking a billion dollars of Monopoly money valuation versus day a billion in revenue.)

Re: Study: Immigrants Founded 51% of U.S. Billion-Dollar Startups

#55
post #15
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The travel ban is 100% about stopping legal immigration.

Visa is different from Immigration, technically speaking.

Green card holders? Refugees? Migrants' family members?

Don't try to paper over or make excuses for the blatant racism espoused by the Republican party.

Re: Study: Immigrants Founded 51% of U.S. Billion-Dollar Startups

#57
post #54
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And this matters because individual productivity is a log-normal distribution, like VC returns. As a country it's a good investment to invite millions of immigrants trying to find the next major inventor. I suppose this also relies on national productivity being the product of, not the sum of individuals​ productivity.

It seems to make that cuts the other way. What is the cost of integrating and potentially supporting a million immigrants compared to the return from one billion dollar startup? (Especially when we're talking a billion dollars of Monopoly money valuation versus day a billion in revenue.)

So far it's worked out, I think.

I'm not talking about a billion dollar startup, but trillion-dollar technology. Think Manhattan project, not WhatsApp.

Re: Study: Immigrants Founded 51% of U.S. Billion-Dollar Startups

#58
post #15
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The travel ban is 100% about stopping legal immigration.

Visa is different from Immigration, technically speaking.

The F-1 visa is for education, but is often a step towards an H1-B, since it gives you enough time to work in the U.S. to get an internship/first job.

Re: Study: Immigrants Founded 51% of U.S. Billion-Dollar Startups

#60
post #54
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And this matters because individual productivity is a log-normal distribution, like VC returns. As a country it's a good investment to invite millions of immigrants trying to find the next major inventor. I suppose this also relies on national productivity being the product of, not the sum of individuals​ productivity.

It seems to make that cuts the other way. What is the cost of integrating and potentially supporting a million immigrants compared to the return from one billion dollar startup? (Especially when we're talking a billion dollars of Monopoly money valuation versus day a billion in revenue.)

Um, not much? Immigrants as a whole pay their way in the United States, have lower crime rates.

The revenue generated by Google, Chobani, and other companies is not "Mickey mouse" money. Not to mention that Microsoft and Google both picked immigrants to be their leaders.

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