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Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

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Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#311
I don’t suspect this is as nefarious as just stupid bureaucracy. My company has kept hiring interns immediately after laying off 10% of their staff, “to keep the funnel open”. H1Bs seem to be organized similarly; it’s a different “system” to companies and tends to be not that aligned with general hiring.

Of course, at my job I’m now surrounded by junior engineers on a very old legacy product. These juniors are very much not equipped, and struggle. I mention this will take months of training and mentoring, challenging the teams ability to execute on product in any case. It appears protecting a head count matters more than real results.

It’s saddening to watch these silly management trends take over in the industry, but, it just looks like the big companies are due for being challenged.

Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#312
post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s exactly what is being discussed, even if you don’t realize what it is you’re saying. Americans are not more deserving of jobs than foreigners, Americans are not better than foreigners.

Americans are free to rule their country as they wish that is basically the premise it's founded on. Deserve means nothing in this context.

Deserve means everything in this context, because I, as an American, am discussing with my fellow Americans how our country works and the principles upon which we ought to rule ourselves.

Those principles are heavily founded in “deserve”. You are watching some infinitesimally small part of that “ruling” process.

Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a completely different experience. My (Indian) manager told me I couldn't be let go because it would make the team entirely Indian :) Apart from that, I found it much easier to work with H1B colleagues than with entitled and full of ego "native" Americans.

Yeah, the ego and entitlement of people living in their native country who can’t be sent back at a moment’s notice.

I don't think the risk of being sent back (or lack thereof) is important for how to treat other people. To put it crudely, assholes will be assholes no matter where they come from.

Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any guides on how to make multi millions per year as consultant?

That's the realm of extreme skill, luck, and timing. There is no way there's a cookie-cutter solution to that and if people say there is I suggest they're no different to Tai Lopez etc... Two solutions I have seen (thanks to the news): 1. Be being a world-class academic on a hot ML topic consulting to a huge tech company at a strategic level 2. Be the prime minister of a G8 country and consult for global investment f…

Consultants exist at every level. An individual will (should?) never make more than the client they serve. However, a team of consultants (like the ones who consult for global firms) can demand more than an individual can. Often times a lot more. They also take on indemnification and more risk. Last I checked, an engagement with Deloitte for anything costs $10M out the gate.

Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#315
post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

H1Bs aren’t second hand citizens, and canceling the H1B program would trigger an immediate humanitarian crisis, not to mention completely shut off America’s main advantage in innovation; the idea that we don’t care where you’re from if you’re great at what you do.

How would it create a humanitarian crisis?!

Half a million people who wish to leave their country for America would no longer be able to.

A great many of those people are operating out of necessity.

Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#316
post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a manager of a team that's mostly H1Bs at Google. It's mostly fine but a few of them just refuse improve their English, and it's frustrating spending hours every day just being an English teacher to an engineer who writes at a 5th grade level. The problem with hiring too many H1Bs is they speak to each other in Chinese and thus take forever to become proficient at communicating with the rest of the company. Also,…

I’m not American and don’t live in America (I presume by “America” you mean the United States?), but shouldn’t it be “… refuse to improve their English”?

Presumably the parent comment meant that their English was poor to the point where they couldn’t communicate effectively with the worker, not that the worker was getting their point across but lacking pristine grammar.

As an anecdote I’ve found that non-Americans from well off families tend to speak near grammatically perfect English because that’s how foreign languages are taught.

Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

You don't understand what slavery is. Slaves don't get paid and it isn't voluntary. H1B are paid and is entirely voluntary. The reason foreigners accept and compete for the positions is because the pay is better than the positions they can get locally. Calling that slavery is ignorant and an insult to anyone alive or historically who has suffered actual slave labor.

> Slaves don't get paid and it isn't voluntary.

That is a very ignorant and US centric view of something that has been practiced for millennia all over the world.

Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#318
post #3

For H1B don't they have to show that they are paying at least market rate? And isn't it a factor in awarding the visa?

Yea the market rate definitely has shenanigans. And I almost wonder if the "response" to a made up ad with low ball number is used to declare it's a valid market rate. Case in point, when I graduated 15 years ago. There was a big H1B software farm (Accenture maybe?) That randomly emailed. 2 year contract job, $30k/year out of NYC. Yea....not a reasonable salary even 15 years ago lmao

15 years ago I interviewed at Electronic Arts. They did this same thing. I wasn’t a recent college grad. I had a family to support. They offered me the job but at 60% of what I asked for. They were shocked when I told them to go eat dirt.

Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is what creates more downward pressure on everyone's comp than just getting foreign workers. It artificially creates a group of workers for whom it's significantly harder and more risky to change jobs or simply quit when they are unsatisfied. I think everyone in tech would be better off if you wouldn't lose the H1B quickly if unemployed and if you wouldn't need to rely on an employer doing extra work to sponsor…

Or like... if the actual _company_ that claims it "needs that worker from outside the U.S. so so so much" actually took the risk on instead of foisting it on the poor employee (and by extension, the entire labor market). My 2-step process for fixing the H1-B system. 1. H1Bs are _auctioned_ instead of raffled. You really need that H1B? Prove it - pay for it. 2. Sponsoring companies are responsible for cost of living f…

This is practical, but there is some inherently pay-to-play classist issues with handing out green cards to those with money.

Re: Google, Meta, Amazon hiring low-paid H1B workers after US layoffs

#320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess it’s not a good time to be a white male. I’m not one but it’s hard to ignore when in plain slight.

The important thing to realize is that “white” doesn’t mean everyone with “white” skin. Middle class kids from Ohio are “white,” and these race conscious programs and elimination of meritocracy hurts them. But the second or third generation Harvard folks aren’t functionally “white,” regardless of their skin color. Those folks will learn, through private schools and social capital, how to end up in top positions in th…

> But the second or third generation Harvard folks aren’t functionally “white,” regardless of their skin color.

Genuine question, does this applies even when they are “white” (Caucasian white)? Why is that or is there a subtext I am missing?

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