Jensen Huang and Sam Altman React to New H-1B $100K Charge

Newly introduced adjustments to the H-1B visa program sparked confusion and chaos in Silicon Valley over the weekend, however two of tech’s most distinguished leaders appear optimistic.

CNBC interviewed Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Monday about adjustments to the H-1B program, days after President Donald Trump signed an govt order including a $100,000 price to the visa utility.

“We wish all of the brightest minds to come back to the US. Keep in mind immigration is the muse of the American dream, and we characterize the American dream,” Huang mentioned. “And so I believe immigration is absolutely essential to our firm and is absolutely essential to our nation’s future, and I am glad to see President Trump making the strikes he is making.”

Nvidia is likely one of the largest employers of H-1B visa holders in the US. The corporate had 1,519 H-1B filings, out of 36,000 workers worldwide on the finish of fiscal yr 2025, a Enterprise Insider evaluation present in March.

Altman additionally chimed in on the subject, including, “We have to get the neatest folks within the nation, and streamlining that course of and likewise type of aligning monetary incentives appears good to me.”

Huang and Altman appeared collectively to announce a $100 billion funding Nvidia is making in OpenAI.

A spokesperson for Nvidia declined to remark. OpenAI didn’t reply to a request for remark.

The H-1B govt order sparked uncertainty on Friday, with firms like Amazon and Microsoft telling their workers on the visa to not depart the US or, in the event that they had been already in a foreign country, to shortly return.

The White Home on Saturday mentioned the brand new six-figure H-1B utility price would solely apply to new candidates, quite than employees who had already acquired the visa.

White Home officers have mentioned the price will assist make sure the visa is used to herald extremely expert employees and never for jobs that would in any other case go to American employees.

Large Tech companies, together with Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Google mum or dad Alphabet, and Apple, collectively make use of hundreds of employees on H-1B visas.