When news broke last month that H1-B visa holders in the U.S would be subjected to a new hefty fee of $100,000, chaos and confusion ensued for a lot of tech workers and their employers. It’s the latest in a string of restrictive visa measures imposed by the Trump administration, which has been making tech talent wonder if they should look elsewhere.

Lauren sits down with WIRED’s Zeyi Yang and Louise Matsakis to discuss the short-term and long-term effects of these measures, and how China is seizing the moment and offering a new visa program to bring tech talent into the country.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• $3,800 Flights and Aborted Takeoffs: How Trump’s H-1B Announcement Panicked Tech Workers | WIRED
• China Rolls Out Its First Talent Visa as the US Retreats on H-1Bs | WIRED
• A Journey Into the Heart of Labubu | WIRED

Join WIRED’s best and brightest as they provide an insider analysis of the overlap between tech and politics, from the influence of Silicon Valley on the Trump administration to how inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (Ai) chatbots fanned the fire on social protests.

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