'Don’t hire Indians': Finfluencer warns Trump’s tech war could crush Indian futures

Donald Trump’s demand for Big Tech to “hire Americans”—and not Indians—has triggered alarm among Indian students and professionals eyeing the U.S. as tightening immigration policies collide with AI-led job disruption.

Finfluencer and Wisdom Hatch founder Akshat Shrivastava warned on X that Indian aspirants face a shrinking window of opportunity. 

“AI is eating jobs in general. But first, it will eat jobs that would be given to immigrants,” he wrote, adding that only “0.001% exceptional people like Aravind Srinivas or Parag Agrawal” might still thrive abroad.

The message aligns with recent U.S. trends. Heightened scrutiny of H-1B visas—used extensively by Indian IT professionals—has prompted legal advisers to caution workers against overseas travel and to brace for tougher reentry and employment conditions.

Shrivastava urged a shift in mindset. “It is their land, they set the rules,” he said. “When our internal economic policies are a mess, we can't really blame Americans.” He criticized India’s steep tax regime for high earners, arguing that the state is more focused on “squeezing juice from existing folks” than on generating growth.

India’s 2025 tax code hits incomes above ₹24 lakh with a 30% rate, while providing limited relief for lower brackets. The outcome, Shrivastava said, is a two-tier economy: “Anyone who can escape, tries to. Anyone who is left, is taxed to death.”

To survive, he advised Indians to pursue “tax-efficient” careers like freelancing, digital services, and remote consulting—what he calls the rise of the “1-person agency.” Fields such as AI, financial planning, and design offer more flexibility and better control over after-tax income.

“Start learning about it today,” he urged, positioning resilience—not emigration—as the new benchmark for success.