Vivek Ramaswamy weighed in with an extensive statement during the ongoing debate surrounding Sriram Krishnan’s contentious opinions on immigration and green card limits. On Thursday, the 39-year-old took to social media to elucidate why technology companies frequently prefer to employ migrants and “first-generation engineers” over “native” Americans.
Netizens slam Sriram for Immigration views, Ramaswamy steps in
Last week, the president-elect appointed Krishnan as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence. As he faces criticism for his immigration views, Vivek Ramaswamy, who will oversee the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk, expressed his thoughts on why a majority of tech hires are “foreign-born.” He emphasized that this is not due to “an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation).”
Instead, Ramaswamy argued that it ultimately “comes down to the c-word: culture.” He stated, “Tough questions demand tough answers & if we’re really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH.” Ramaswamy elaborated that American culture has “venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.” He highlighted that American films and television often celebrate “prom queen over the math Olympiad champ,” which “will not produce the best engineers.”
The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over “native” Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 26, 2024
The Ohio Republican bluntly added, “‘Normalcy’ doesn’t cut it in a hyper-competitive global market for technical talent. And if we pretend like it does, we’ll have our a**es handed to us by China.”
“Trump’s election hopefully marks the beginning of a new golden era in America, but only if our culture fully wakes up. A culture that once again prioritizes achievement over normalcy; excellence over mediocrity; nerdiness over conformity; hard work over laziness,” Ramaswamy added.
Sriram Krishnan faces backlash online
Krishnan faced backlash after Laura Loomer highlighted his tweet advocating for the elimination of country caps on green cards.
“Anything to remove country caps for green cards/unlock skilled immigration would be huge,” the entrepreneur said.
The investigative journalist expressed fears about his views, claiming they went against Donald Trump’s “America First” policy.
Deeply disturbing to see the appointment of Sriram Krishnan @sriramk as Senior Policy Advisor for AI at the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
It’s alarming to see the number of career leftists who are now being appointed to serve in Trump’s admin when they share views… https://t.co/pf0WiViy32 pic.twitter.com/nR0TkZpNK7
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) December 23, 2024
In response to Loomer’s concerns, Trump’s AI and crypto czar David Sacks said, “Point of clarification: Sriram didn’t say he wants to remove all caps on green cards. He said he wants to remove country caps on green cards.” “In fact, he wants to make the program entirely merit-based. Supporting a limited number of highly skilled immigrants is still a prevalent view on the right. Sriram is definitely not a ‘career leftist’!”
Trump previously confirmed that Sacks and Krishnan would work together as a team, which would ensure a “continued American leadership in A.I., and help shape and coordinate A.I. policy across Government, including working with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.”
In response to Loomer’s concerns, David Sacks, Trump’s AI and crypto czar, clarified, “Point of clarification: Sriram didn’t say he wants to remove all caps on green cards. He said he wants to remove country caps on green cards.” He added, “In fact, he wants to make the program entirely merit-based. Supporting a limited number of highly skilled immigrants is still a prevalent view on the right. Sriram is definitely not a ‘career leftist’!”
Trump had previously confirmed that Sacks and Krishnan would collaborate as a team to ensure “continued American leadership in A.I., and help shape and coordinate A.I. policy across Government, including working with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.”
