H-1B visas to billions: Top immigrant billionaires in the US — Musk, Pichai, Ullal and more

The debate around America’s H-1B visa programme has intensified with the Trump administration’s controversial decision to impose a $1 million annual fee on sponsoring employers. Supporters argue the visa has been a vital channel for attracting global talent, while critics say it displaces local workers. 

What is undeniable, however, is that a handful of immigrant billionaires got their start on an H-1B, eventually building companies that employ tens of thousands and adding trillions in market value to the US economy. 

By Forbes’ count, 12% of America’s billionaires are immigrants, and many trace their roots to a student visa or an H-1B. From Silicon Valley to Wall Street, these success stories highlight how America’s openness to global talent has paid dividends. 

Richest H-1B alumni who founded or led US giants 

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, X 

• Origin: South Africa 
• Net Worth: $400 billion 
• After exhausting his student visas, Musk transitioned to an H-1B, which allowed him to remain in the US and pursue ventures that became Tesla, SpaceX, and later X (formerly Twitter). 

Satya Nadella: Microsoft 

• Origin: India 
• Net Worth: $1 billion+ in stock/options 
• Began his US career on an H-1B, joining Microsoft in 1992 before rising to CEO. While not a founder, Nadella reshaped Microsoft into a cloud powerhouse. 

Sundar Pichai: Alphabet (Google) 

• Origin: India 
• Net Worth: $1.3 billion (primarily in Google stock) 
• Entered the US on an H-1B after his studies at Stanford and Wharton. Today, as CEO of Alphabet, he leads one of the world’s most valuable companies. 

Jay Chaudhry: Zscaler 

• Origin: India 
• Net Worth: $16.7 billion 
• A pioneer in cybersecurity, Chaudhry used U.S. opportunities (arriving before H-1B was formalised) to found Zscaler, now a Nasdaq-listed giant. 

Self-made billionaires who climbed via H-1B 

Jeff Skoll: eBay 

• Origin: Canada 
• Net Worth: $5.2 billion 
• First president of eBay, moved from a J-1 to an H-1B. Became a Silicon Valley legend and philanthropist. 

Eric Yuan: Zoom 

• Origin: China 
• Net Worth: $5 billion 
• After eight US visa rejections, finally secured an H-1B in 1997 to work at WebEx. Founded Zoom in 2011, which skyrocketed during the pandemic. 

Rajiv Jain: GQG Partners 

• Origin: India 
• Net Worth: $4.9 billion 
• First entered on an H-1B in the 1990s. Later co-founded GQG Partners, now managing over $150 billion in assets. 

Jayshree Ullal: Arista Networks 

• Origin: India/UK 
• Net Worth: $4.7 billion 
• Early H-1B hire at Crescendo (later acquired by Cisco). Today, she’s one of Silicon Valley’s most powerful female CEOs. 

Thierry Cruanes:Snowflake 

• Origin: France 
• Net Worth: $1.1 billion 
• Moved on an H-1B to work at Oracle, then co-founded Snowflake, which went public in 2020 in the biggest software IPO ever. 

Other billionaire examples  

Patrick Soon-Shiong: Biotech Pioneer 

• Origin: South Africa 
• Net Worth: $6 billion 
• Entered on an H-1 (predecessor to H-1B) in the 1980s, invented breakthrough cancer drug Abraxane, and later bought the LA Times. 

Raj Sardana: Innova Solutions 

• Origin: India 
• Net Worth: $2 billion 
• Came in 1981 “with a hundred dollars,” got an H-1 at Howmet Aerospace, and went on to found global IT services powerhouse Innova. 

Kavitark Ram Shriram: Google Angel Investor 

• Origin: India 
• Net Worth: $2.7 billion 
• Came on an H-1B to work at Netscape and later became an early investor in Google. Today, his fortune is tied to that bet. 

Vinod Khosla: Sun Microsystems & Khosla Ventures 

• Origin: India 
• Net Worth: $6.9 billion 
• One of the early Indian-born entrepreneurs to leverage H-1 visa programmes, he co-founded Sun Microsystems before becoming a top venture capitalist. 

Why these stories matter 

From Tesla and Zoom to Arista and Snowflake, billion-dollar American companies trace their roots to immigrant founders, who began on temporary work visas. 

Yet, with the Trump administration’s new $1 million employer fee, many fear the next generation of Musk or Yuan may never get their shot. Big Tech giants will likely absorb the costs, but startups — the very incubators of future billionaires — may struggle.