From 1995 to 2005, 52 percent of Silicon Valley’s technology and engineering companies were founded by i
mmigrants. The majority came to the United States as students. They ended up staying after graduation and on average founded companies 13 years after their arrival. They also filed 25 percent of America’s global patents, significantly boosting U.S. competitiveness. Their contributions to the new American economy are vast, and their importance is clear.
But because of the burgeoning economies of countries like India and China and flawed U.S. immigration policies, the proportion of immigrant-founded companies is likely to be significantly lower over the next decade. This doesn’t mean there will be greater opportunities for native-born Americans: It means that there will be fewer startups; that entrepreneurship will be booming instead in countries like India and China; that Silicon Valley will face unprecedented competition from American-educated and -trained talent that, rather than staying in the land of opportunity as so many have done for so long, returned home.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Vivek Wadhwa for Democracy Journal: Our Best Imports: Keeping Immigrant Innovators Here
Author:Vivek Wadhwa
