‘We’re Americans, we’re smart’: H-1B critic says US must stop comparing itself to India, China on education

Azoria CEO James Fishback sparked a heated debate online after posting a fiery message on X (formerly Twitter), defending American talent and culture while criticising comparisons with countries like India and China.

Fishback, who has been a vocal critic of the H-1B visas, said that Americans should not adjust their way of life just because "there's a chemistry test to cram for". 

In his post, Fishback wrote, “We don't want ANYONE lecturing us about Indian literacy rates or Chinese math rates. Cut the crap now. We’re Americans. We’re talented. We’re smart. And no, we’re not giving up church on Sunday for more math tutoring. We’re not skipping Friday Night Lights because there’s a chemistry test to cram for. The second we stop apologizing for who we are, we will start winning again!”

The comment quickly went viral, drawing mixed reactions. Some users praised Fishback for standing up for American values and work-life balance, while others accused him of being dismissive toward academic rigour and global competitiveness.

"Agreed! So, end the CORPORATE advantages created by H1Bs and let the American worker compete FAIRLY instead of banning skilled immigration. Btw, in debate, we call this a “TURN” as it uses your own argument to prove your case wrong," a user wrote. 

"Cramming for a chem exam is third world," a second user commented. 

"Sure, loser. Go enjoy Friday Night Lights while the hardworking kids win Physics Olympiad Gold medals," another netizen said.  A fourth social media user wrote: "based actually". 

Yet another user said: "Americanism is the path forward. Americans should strive for excellence, but not at the expense of American culture or the American people. We don’t want to compete for American jobs with foreigners. We want to compete amongst ourselves who participate in the American system."

Besides this, his post was also seen as an attack on the Indian-American Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. In December last year, Ramaswamy said that the US education system is falling behind competitors like China and India. 

He argued in a social media post that American society celebrates mediocrity over excellence, discouraging the development of high-level technical skills from a young age. "A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers," he wrote in the post.