America Destroys Its Advantage
April 29, 2025
For decades American Universities have been the envy of the World. With the brightest minds and the best facilities, these globally recognized institutions acted as a magnet for talent everywhere.
For decades American Universities have been the envy of the World. With the brightest minds and the best facilities, these globally recognized institutions acted as a magnet for talent everywhere. The results are incredible. The USA has almost 3x as many Nobel Laureates as any other nation and we are the headquarters of the AI revolution.
But let's be clear: this advantage is powered by immigration. Most US Nobel Laureates were either born outside the USA or their parents were. In the Fortune 500, ~45% of the companies were founded by immigrants or their children.The USA is now giving up this advantage.This week saw over 1,000 student visas get cancelled, without warning, and in some cases the 'crime' was speeding tickets or writing an opinion piece. At least one person is still being detained in an ICE facility.
Outside of the immediate talent loss, this will cause most students outside the USA, to look elsewhere for their research and work opportunities. As someone who has spent years asking talented folks to move to SF, I can tell you the sentiment change has been large and immediate.A year ago, almost every talented founder I met wanted to build in the USA. These days most people are worried if it's safe to travel. The cost to our country will be massive and felt for decades to come.
