Sidharth kapoor, PMP®, ITIL®, CSM

$100K H-1B Fee: A Defining Moment for Indian IT The new $100,000 H-1B fee isn't just a cost—it's a strategic reset for the Indian IT sector. This fee makes onsite hiring far more expensive, pushing firms to rethink every visa request and accelerating margin pressures. You will likely see a surge in using near-shore hubs with similar time zone like Canada and Latin America. However, this challenge has a powerful silver lining. It forces Indian IT to be more strategic and efficient. This new fee will: Demand high-value talent: Only critical, client-facing roles will justify the expense, ensuring higher-quality onsite talent. Accelerate hybrid delivery: It will spur adoption of hybrid and offshore models, long resisted by many U.S. clients. Spur local innovation: It will drive more local U.S. hiring and strategic "acqui-hires." This is a wake-up call. Indian IT's future hinges on its ability to adapt delivery models and redefine its global workforce strategy. How do you see your organization navigating this new reality? #H1B #IndianIT #GlobalBusiness #FutureOfWork #TechTransformation #ITStrategy #USIndia

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New H-1B visa rules will change how Indian IT firms operate across the globe. Adding costs and tightening policies have made sending talent to America more expensive and selective. As companies shift away from traditional models reliant on on-site resources in America, Indian IT companies are responding by enhancing their offshore/nearshore delivery models. To utilize India's abundant talent pool to manage complex global delivery remotely, utilizing a variety of resources, while relying less on labor-intensive processes through automation and AI initiatives. This will allow teams to function long-term without relying solely on visa-reliant talent. At the same time, companies are investing in local talent in the U.S. to maintain vital client-facing roles and minimize disruptions in continuity. By establishing a sustainable "onshore" workforce, companies are reducing exposure to restricted access for foreign talent and maintaining important client-facing roles to provide successful delivery of services. These changes, in turn, are driving a strategic shift to product-led growth domestically in India, which will lead to long-term profitability. Leveraging innovation and enhancing systems and domestic platforms, IT firms can translate mobility hurdles into economic challenges for product growth. The industry is transforming from a pure services model to a hybrid model beginning with offshoring cost efficiencies and onshore presence with local innovation. This also gives India a chance to build a "brain gain" ecosystem whereby more and more individuals of Indian origin are not only staying in India but actually coming back home from the US or elsewhere, thus building India's talent pool. This will ultimately serve to ensure that India becomes a globally recognized center of technology and innovation, while simultaneously reducing the overreliance on foreign markets to attract talent back to India. Although there are potential short-term obstacles to overcome with the new H1B rules, they also provoke Indian IT firms to innovate, adapt, and rethink how best to strategize on talent. Raising nearshore capabilities means a firm can adopt a product-led growth approach, which not only mitigates some of the anticipated risk or uncertainty but also positions the Indian technology sector to evolve in an interesting way as a sustainable hub of global leadership and access to market for its next growth phase. #H1BVisaChanges #IndianITFirms #GlobalTechShift #OffshoreDeliveryModels #FutureOfIT

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Hello Friends, Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. 🙏 We have a very interesting 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐭 session coming up with Bidisha Basu, Senior Consultant at Infosys, on the following topic: 𝐄𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐄𝐫𝐚 In recent years, Product Management has been reshaped significantly across industries: 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞: AI is supporting diagnostics and personalized treatment planning. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: AI is driving credit scoring, fraud detection, and automated investing. 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 & 𝐄-𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞: AI personalizes product recommendations and dynamic pricing. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Predictive maintenance and demand forecasting are increasingly AI-enabled. 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 & 𝐔𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: AI optimizes grid reliability, forecasts energy demand, and enables smarter renewable integration As Product Managers navigate this shift, they must now handle emerging complexities: • Data pipelines • Model performance variation across segments • Explainability • Personalization at scale • Enterprise-grade security The role has evolved from building “features” to designing 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 that respects ethics, privacy, and user trust. Looking forward to a meaningful and engaging discussion! 📅 Date: 14th December (Sunday) 🕔 Time: 10–11 AM 📍 Zoom Link: https://lnkd.in/gipDFr3j Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel to have access to all Video Contents - https://lnkd.in/gXCN99ZA Dola Pal Supriyo Chowdhury Sujoy Roy Nabarun Mukherjee Pitam Chatterjee 🇮🇳 MyTwoCents ADVISORY Abhijit Pal Sanjay Biswas Bidisha Basu Meghna Porwal Kotresh Nalwad Amit Sharma Meenakshmi Goswami Paromita Ghosh Paramita Ghosh Sudakshina Basu Satarupa Nandi -SAFe Advanced SPC®, RTE, SASM®, LACE member Mahashweta Roy Sampurna Banerjee Mainak Das Subhra Halder Mriganka Gayen Titas Rudra Somnath Chatterjee Amar Misra Aniruddha Guin Ipsita Chattoraj Banerjee Dr. Debatri Chatterjee

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The H-1B Visa: A U.S. Problem, Not an Indian One For years, the U.S. debate around the H-1B visa has focused on whether it displaces American workers. But this framing misses the mark. Indian IT companies have already adapted—diversifying delivery models, scaling up local hiring, and moving up the value chain. The H-1B is no longer a lifeline for them. The real consequence of a restrictive H-1B policy? A self-inflicted wound to U.S. competitiveness. 🔹 The Skills Gap Is Real Fields like AI, data science, and cybersecurity are evolving faster than domestic talent pipelines can keep up. The H-1B visa has historically filled these acute gaps. Closing that valve doesn’t create new American workers—it leaves critical roles unfilled. 🔹 Innovation Suffers Skilled foreign workers don’t just fill jobs—they spark new ones. Their presence correlates with more patents, startups, and productivity. Restricting them is like handing your competitors a gift: a pipeline of talent ready to be welcomed elsewhere. 🔹 Work Moves to Talent When H-1B denial rates spiked, U.S. companies responded by shifting R&D to countries like Canada. Restrictive policies don’t protect jobs—they accelerate offshoring of high-value work. Indian companies are thriving—with or without H-1B. The real question is whether the U.S. wants to remain a magnet for global talent or cede that edge to more forward-looking economies. Let’s reframe the debate: The H-1B isn’t a foreign lever—it’s a domestic asset. H1B #TalentMobility #InnovationPolicy #GlobalWorkforce #TechLeadership #Governance

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Impact of Recent H-1B Rule Changes on US and Indian IT Sectors Recent U.S. policy proposals and rule changes aim to overhaul the H‑1B visa system. Notably, new rules would replace the random lottery with a wage-based “merit” selection, favoring highest-paying jobs. The Biden/Trump administrations have signaled plans to raise H‑1B wage floors and prevailing‑wage levels. USCIS also issued a final rule (effective Jan. 2025) streamlining processes and acknowledging remote work. Effects on Indian IT Companies & Outsourcing Higher Costs, Offshoring Push: The new rules hike the cost of sending tech staff to the U.S. (e.g. rumored $100K visa fees and higher wage floors). Indian IT firms warn this “could disrupt” projects as onshore costs jump. Many firms are already shifting to remote delivery – even setting up local centers – to sidestep visa limits. Talent Mobility: With ~71% of H-1B visas held by Indians, tighter rules mean fewer engineers traveling abroad. Short‑term, many visa holders scrambled to return (Microsoft, Amazon told staff overseas to hurry back). Longer‑term, this may slow the India→U.S. talent flow and spur alternative pathways (L‑1 intracompany transfers, O-1 “extraordinary ability” visas, or remote work arrangements). Effects on U.S. Tech Companies Hiring Strategy & Costs: U.S. tech firms now face higher labor costs. Proposed wage floors (up to ~$150K) and new fees make H‑1Bs pricier, potentially shifting hiring to domestic or higher‑paid foreign talent. Companies might reprioritize roles: a draft rule would “weight” lottery odds by salary, effectively reserving slots for top-paying jobs (e.g. lead developers). Competitiveness & Compliance: Higher visa costs and stricter oversight push tech companies to re-evaluate outsourcing. Some criticized Big Tech for layoffs while bringing in foreign workers on H‑1Bs; new rules aim to curtail such practices. In response, firms may invest in domestic recruitment and automation, or use alternative visas. Compliance burdens rise (e.g. documenting new fees and wage levels), but flexibility gains: USCIS will now allow more remote work flexibility (emphasizing job duties over location). Short-Term Disruptions vs Long-Term Shifts Short-Term: The sudden announcements created uncertainty: Indian firms noted a “one-day deadline” caused confusion. U.S. project staffing may slow as employers and visa holders adjust. Travel spikes occurred as workers hurried to finalize status before new fees took effect. Long-Term: Over time, both sides expect a rebalancing. Indian IT is already tilting toward local hiring (Nasscom says top firms’ H‑1B hires <1% of their workforce) and diversified delivery centers. U.S. companies may rely more on U.S. graduates or move more work overseas. Some experts even call it a “talent renaissance” for India, as more engineers stay home or work remotely for U.S. firms. #H1B #TechJobs #IndianIT #USImmigration #VisaPolicy #RemoteWork #SkilledMigration

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The news of a $100,000 H-1B visa renewal fee feels incredibly harsh for Indian professionals in the U.S. At first, it looks like another “shock” tactic — something extreme that eventually gets bargained down. We’ve seen this before: restrictions on AI chip sales to China that later turned into a 15% tax. But even as a proposal, this sends ripples across the industry: 🌍 Short term: Companies may accelerate offshoring. That could open more opportunities for freshers in India, and for students in U.S. universities as firms look for alternatives to costly renewals. 💻 Reality check: A large share of the U.S. tech workforce is Indian or Chinese. At places like Amazon and Uber, I noticed a pattern — the tougher the environment, the more you see immigrants. Not because it’s easier for them, but because survival and resilience are part of their journey. ⏳ Long term: America once proudly said “immigrants built this country.” Now the narrative feels closer to “protect local jobs.” If that mindset hardens, the U.S. risks losing its edge as top talent may simply choose Canada, Europe, or Asia instead. This also reminded me of something from my civics classes: India’s founding leaders debated whether to adopt a presidential system. The planning committee (led by Ambedkar and others) felt too much power in one individual could be dangerous. As a student, I believed a presidential system might have enabled faster decisions. Today, I see how that foresight may have guarded us from concentrated power — something we see tested in democracies worldwide. Whether it’s global tech policy or political systems, checks and balances matter more than speed. 👉 What do you think — will this visa fee push more roles offshore, or are we witnessing a bigger reset in how global talent and power structures are managed? My own perspective has shifted. I once believed the U.S. would always welcome immigrant talent. Today, I’m not so sure. What do you think — will this just push more roles offshore, or are we watching a bigger reset in how global tech talent is sourced? #H1B #Immigration #FutureOfWork #USIndia #TechTalent

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I recently interviewed Harshit Omar, Co-Founder & CTO of FluidCloud, and asked him three direct questions about what recent cloud outages really mean for enterprises. His answers cut through the noise — on:
• Why “multi-cloud” often isn’t truly resilient
• Where most enterprises are still exposed to risk
• What real cloud portability actually looks like in practice Great read!

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Insightful perspectives from Parag Shah on how private equity is catalysing India’s manufacturing decade. The shift from services to asset‑led manufacturing, supported by policy tailwinds and global demand, is creating one of the most compelling opportunities of our time. Amara Partners Parag Shah Piyush Soonee

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