A Response to Vivek Ramaswamy

Why Silicon Valley is not the Best Model for America

My post on Vivek Ramaswamy’s comments on H-1Bs and American culture attracted a great deal of positive attention, so I thought I would expand on it at some length by excerpting from my recent book The Unprotected Class where I discuss the issues I raised in the post much more detail.

I have more than an academic interest in this subject. I began my professional career in tech during the Internet 1.0 days, and before moving to Montana, I lived in Palo Alto, CA in the heart of Silicon Valley for 14 years, at a time in which two of my four closest friends were Indian Americans. Prior to moving to the Valley, my wife (also a white American) and I lived in India briefly and I made many extended trips there over the subsequent years.

I’d add that while my reasons for relocating from Silicon Valley to Montana (which ranks 49^th in percentage of Immigrants…