'We need smart people': Trump green card rule sparks tech backlash; LinkedIn, Coursera founders slam move
A new immigration policy introduced by the administration of Donald Trump has triggered sharp criticism from the US technology sector, with several prominent startup founders warning that the move could damage America’s innovation ecosystem and AI leadership.
The policy requires most green card applicants to apply for permanent residency from their home countries instead of from within the United States — a major shift that could affect international students, skilled workers and tech employees already living in the country.
LinkedIn co-founder raises alarm over AI talent
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, questioned the impact the rule could have on America’s AI workforce.
“Does this mean AI researchers, employees, and students will now have to leave the country and wait through a backlog process to continue their work?” Hoffman wrote in a post, calling the decision a “harmful move for tech, business, and America broadly.”
Does this mean AI Researchers, employees, and students will now have to leave the country and wait through a backlog process to continue their work?
— Reid Hoffman (@reidhoffman) May 22, 2026
Harmful move for tech, business, and America broadly... https://t.co/bfumkDCjJK
Coursera founder calls policy ‘capricious attack’
Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera and a leading AI expert, described the policy as a “capricious attack” on legal immigration.
Ng warned that the change would hurt families and reduce the number of skilled professionals entering the US workforce, including doctors, scientists and teachers.
He also cautioned that America’s competitiveness in artificial intelligence would suffer as a result of the restrictions.
The new White House policy requiring green card applicants to apply from outside the US is a capricious attack on legal immigration. It will hurt families, leave us with fewer doctors, teachers and scientists, and hurt American competitiveness in AI.
— Andrew Ng (@AndrewYNg) May 22, 2026
Y Combinator founder says US needs ‘smart people’
Garry Tan, head of startup accelerator Y Combinator, also criticised the policy, calling it “bad and misguided”.
“The US needs smart people in the country to build the future and businesses,” Tan said.
We need to keep smart people in the country to build the future and build tomorrow’s businesses that employ millions of people
— Garry Tan (@garrytan) May 22, 2026
This is bad and misguided policy https://t.co/gyKRuErwOQ
USCIS defends new Green Card policy
The policy was outlined in a recent memo issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which reiterated that student and temporary work visas are meant for short-term stays and should not automatically become a pathway to permanent residency.
USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler defended the move, saying the policy would help immigration laws function “as intended”.
“When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the US illegally after being denied residency,” he said.
The agency added that green cards would only be granted from within the United States under “extraordinary circumstances.”
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