Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella arrived in the US in 1988 to attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He graduated in 1990 and later received an MBA from the University of Chicago.
In his memoir, “Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone,” Nadella said he married his wife in 1992, and they decided she would move from India to live with him. However, her visa application was rejected.
A coworker suggested that Nadella give up his “coveted” green card for an H-1B visa as another way to bring his wife stateside. Nadella applied for the H-1B visa in 1994 and was approved.
“Miraculously, it all worked out,” he wrote.
During his first term, Trump criticized the H-1B program and signed an executive order in 2017 that ordered federal agencies to review and propose changes. That year, Nadella called reviewing the program a “good idea” on an episode of Marketplace’s “Make Me Smart” podcast.
“Every country should look at their immigration policy and, especially in this case, it’s about American competitiveness,” Nadella said.
He added: “At least at Microsoft, when we think about H-1B, it’s mostly about high-skilled labor that allows us, an American company, to be globally competitive.”
