'Even your AI needs brown hands': Tech founder fires back at Marjorie Greene’s Indian H-1B attack

U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s call to end “Indian H-1B visas replacing American jobs” has sparked backlash online, with tech entrepreneur Rajat Sethi firing back: “Even your blonde AI agents will need brown hands to make sense of the world!”

Greene’s remark, posted Monday night on X alongside a repost of Donald Trump’s renewed tariff threats against India, has reignited debate around employment-based immigration—particularly the H-1B visa programme that brings tens of thousands of skilled Indian professionals to the U.S. each year.

“Have you or anyone in your extended family written a single line of code?” Sethi posted in response. His sharp retort reflects growing anger across the Indian diaspora and the tech community, where Greene’s statement is being read as both dismissive and detached from the realities of the U.S. innovation economy.

Greene’s comment comes amid heightened U.S.-India tensions over New Delhi’s continued oil trade with Russia. Trump has accused India of buying “massive amounts” of Russian oil and reselling it for profit, while threatening higher tariffs on Indian exports. Greene added her voice by attacking the H-1B programme—calling for it to be shut down for Indian nationals.

Although Greene’s statement doesn’t signal an immediate policy shift, it aligns with broader Republican efforts to tighten work visa rules. Nearly 70% of all H-1B approvals in fiscal 2024 went to Indian citizens, according to USCIS data.

The reaction from the tech world has been swift. Sethi, like many founders and executives, views the H-1B system not as a threat to American jobs but as a lifeline for U.S. companies competing globally. “Brown hands,” he argued, are behind much of the code, infrastructure, and backend support that keeps American tech running.

Under Trump-era immigration thinking, proposals have surfaced to scrap the H-1B lottery in favour of salary-based prioritisation. Critics argue this could unfairly disadvantage younger talent, including recent graduates from U.S. universities.