“We Need the Brightest Minds”: Nvidia & OpenAI Chiefs Back Trump’s $100K H-1B Visa Move
WASHINGTON — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have shared their views on President Donald Trump’s recent decision to raise the cost of hiring foreign talent under the H-1B visa program.
Last week, Trump announced a dramatic fee increase — setting the new H-1B visa cost at $100,000. Under the updated rules, companies must show proof of payment before submitting petitions for overseas workers. Applications will also face a 12-month restriction until fees are cleared, according to the official announcement.
Huang and Altman, speaking during a joint discussion, highlighted both the challenges and opportunities the decision presents. At the same time, they revealed a massive partnership, with Nvidia committing $100 billion to support OpenAI’s mission of building large-scale data centers powered by Nvidia’s AI processors.
Huang emphasized the importance of global talent in driving U.S. innovation:
“We want the brightest minds from across the world to come to the U.S. Immigration has always been the backbone of the American Dream. For both our company and our nation’s future, immigration is critical, and I’m encouraged to see bold steps being taken,” he said.
Echoing that sentiment, Altman noted the benefits of attracting highly skilled professionals:
“The U.S. needs the smartest people. Streamlining the process and creating strong financial structures around it feels like a positive move to me,” he said.
The $100,000 H-1B fee marks a historic shift for sectors like technology and finance, which rely heavily on highly skilled workers from overseas — particularly from India and China, which accounted for 71% and 11.7% of visa approvals last year.
Importantly, the new fee will not apply to existing H-1B holders re-entering the United States. However, U.S. employers continue to depend on international talent to fill specialized roles that remain scarce in the domestic labor pool.
