They were promised a secure, well-paying future if they “learned to code” and obtained a degree in software engineering. Yet, numerous individuals in the tech sector are facing disillusionment amid widespread layoffs and ongoing unemployment. They attribute this crisis to an overreliance on an influx of inexpensive foreign workers, facilitated by programs like H-1B, which companies claim help them recruit the “best and brightest.”
Jonathan, a cybersecurity expert who left the field due to frustration, shared with DCNF, “Right now, I’m doing something else. My career feels like it’s in freefall because of all this.” He lost his job in November 2024 and has submitted over 200 job applications in the Seattle area since then, but hasn’t received a single offer, despite having five years of experience and performing well in interviews.
Most of the seven tech employees interviewed for this report requested to be identified only by their first names, fearing potential backlash from former or future employers.
The debate around the H-1B program, which once split President Trump’s inner circle just before his second term began, is resurfacing as the White House sends conflicting messages about its advantages. This issue has divided Republican leaders who ran on a pro-labor platform, yet they also count on strong support from tech executives.
When asked for clarification, the White House spokesperson stated that recent remarks were provided by Press Secretary Caroline Levitt. She asserted, “The president does not endorse replacing American workers. He holds nuanced views on the topic but ultimately wants American workers to fill those roles. There are misconceptions regarding his stance.”
“I was disillusioned.”
Publicly accessible data indicates that many American engineers are losing opportunities to foreign workers. Major tech firms, including Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Intel, experienced layoffs throughout 2025, a continuation of an ongoing industry trend. Notably, none of the interviewees were employed by these corporations.
Approximately 428,000 tech workers are projected to lose their jobs from 2022 to 2023, with 384 tech firms set to lay off about 124,000 employees in 2024, according to the Institute for Sound Public Policy (ISPP). The implications of the H-1B program extend beyond tech, impacting workers across various industries.
Despite significant layoffs, the entry of H-1B visa workers has maintained its pace, with a reported 80% increase since the Great Recession of 2011. It’s estimated that around 660,000 H-1B workers resided in the U.S. as of October 2024.
Created by Congress in 1990, the H-1B program was initially designed to harness a “highly specialized” foreign workforce, as noted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While it’s a nonimmigrant visa, H-1B holders may later apply for permanent resident status, allowing them to remain indefinitely.
About 70% of H-1B applications each year are from technology companies, as per Nation Connections, a site that assists individuals with immigration laws. Other American tech workers share similar frustrations to Jonathan but choose to remain silent, fearing repercussions.
“I feel kind of disillusioned about the industry,” confessed Riley, a 2021 software engineering graduate. “Currently, the unemployment rate for software engineers exceeds that of art history majors.”
Art history majors face a 3% unemployment rate, as reported by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, whereas computer engineering graduates are seeing a 7.5% unemployment rate.
Riley disclosed that he witnessed significant changes in hiring practices at his Austin-based employer. The company faced continuous complaints about compensation but began hiring South American employees and eventually opened an office in Colombia.
“I believe they did that to cut labor costs and fill positions without negotiating with American engineers,” he elaborated.
Jonathan described a similar transition at a California-based firm where he worked, which opened an India Development Center and soon halted hiring outside India altogether. After he departed, he learned that many of his former colleagues had been laid off.
“If we don’t endorse our development center in India or embrace the idea of filling the market with more H-1B visas, we risk losing out on promotions and potentially alienating ourselves from team dynamics,” Jonathan reflected, highlighting the lingering pressure to refrain from voicing concerns.
“We’re all in the process of being replaced.”
India remains the leading source of foreign workers, representing 72% of all H-1B recipients from October 2022 to September 2023, according to a March 2024 report from the Department of Homeland Security.
“We’re all in the process of being replaced,” John, who worked in IT for an insurance company in Connecticut, disclosed. He recounted how, when he joined in 2006, the company employed around 350 IT professionals, all Americans, but steadily replaced them with foreign workers over the subsequent decade.
He further noted that, in many instances, acceptance of severance packages required training Indian replacements ahead of retirement, resulting in significant turmoil for many individuals.
“A lot of young graduates are unable to find employment,” he lamented. “Despite investing heavily in learning programming, cloud systems, and related skills, job opportunities remain scarce.”
The tech workers who talked with DCNF highlighted the challenges faced while trying to secure positions as student debt continues to rise to unprecedented levels—around 44 million Americans owe more than $1.7 trillion in student loans, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
John, like many of his former peers, was ultimately “let go” and presented with a severance agreement that prohibited disclosure about his situation.
Luke Hawthorne, returning to Western Washington from Alaska, assumed he would easily find a higher-paying position. “Given that we have some of the largest tech companies here, I thought it would be straightforward,” he noted. Yet, he spent nearly a year looking for a job with comparable pay.
Though he considers himself fortunate to be employed, his current wage doesn’t come close to affording a home in Washington. Analyzing the public data revealed that the state’s software developer workforce expanded by over 16% in just nine months due to H-1B approvals, with 83% of these positions offered at or below the state’s median wage.
“The narrative about attracting the ‘best and brightest’ just doesn’t align with how the program functions,” Hawthorne expressed. “Another critical aspect is that competition comes not just from newcomers but also from countless experienced tech workers who have already been replaced.”
Many interviewed have since become part of US Tech Workers, an advocacy group aiming to highlight the struggles of American workers negatively affected by the H-1B program while pushing for legislative changes.
Trump has initiated some of the most stringent immigration policies since returning to office, though key members of his administration appear to have differing viewpoints on reforms, creating mixed messages on the matter.
As the president approached his second inauguration, his supporters seemed split, with business magnate Elon Musk defending the H-1B program and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy contending that the nation requires foreign talent due to a cultural preference for “mediocrity over excellence.” In November, former Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accused tech firms of exploiting the system at the expense of Americans, proposing new legislation for phasing out the H-1B program entirely.
Initially, Trump showed support for H-1B advocates, but by December 2024, he expressed himself as a “believer” in the program. Yet in a notable shift towards pro-American labor, Trump announced a plan in September imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications—a move he later opposed as impractical. In early November, he reiterated the necessity for H-1Bs to bring in foreign talent.
As discussions regarding the H-1B program continue in Washington, tech workers express feelings of neglect.
Joseph Ibrahim, an unemployed tech laborer from Florida, recounted, “I graduated college seven years ago and was often told, ‘If you learn to code, you’ll land a good job.’ But it turns out that not only are manufacturing jobs outsourced, but so are coding roles.”
With a degree in information systems, Ibrahim has been job-hunting since April. Unlike many interviewees, he felt comfortable sharing his full name, pondering, “What could they do? They already don’t hire me.”
“Had I known that pursuing computer science might eventually involve training my replacement, I definitely wouldn’t have chosen that path,” he remarked.
