Ex-Amazon employee calls out H-1B visa ‘abuse’ by Indian managers, backs Trump’s criticism

Highlights:

• Ex-Amazon employee alleges H-1B visa holders face exploitation and 24/7 work pressure.
• Claims Indian managers show hiring favoritism based on region, caste, and language.
• Suggests Americans are deliberately avoided in hiring to allow stricter control over employees.
• Says Walmart and Intel hiring often favors Telugu and Gujarati workers, respectively.
• Debate reignites as US imposes $100,000 H-1B visa fee hike, targeting new applicants.

A former Amazon employee has sparked intense debate over the H-1B visa program after revealing why he chose to return to India despite a lucrative career in the United States. In a Reddit post titled “Returned from USA recently. My take on H1B situation and why Americans hate Indians taking up jobs there,” the ex-employee alleged toxic work culture, exploitation of H-1B visa holders, and rampant regional favoritism among Indian-origin managers.

The tech worker claimed the US work environment is “not as glorious as it seems from outside,” pointing to systemic issues within Indian-dominated teams in major corporations. “They exploit employees on visas, knowing how complicated and vulnerable the situation is since they themselves went through it,” he wrote, suggesting that visa dependence leaves employees powerless to resist long hours and mistreatment.

One of his most striking observations targeted hiring practices. “I don't think DJT's reasoning is entirely wrong there are so many Indians in higher positions who mainly hire other Indians, only to abuse them and their visa status,” he said. The post accused Indian managers of deliberately avoiding hiring Americans because “they know they can't push them to work 24/7, and Americans won't hesitate to sue if boundaries are crossed.”

The former Amazon employee even called out major US companies for fostering homogeneous workforces based on regional ties. He claimed, “Walmart is filled with Telugu managers and employees — the only real hiring criteria seems to be ‘are you Telugu?’ and you'll get the job. Same with Gujaratis at Intel, where they prefer only hiring Gujaratis.”

The post has triggered strong reactions on social media, with users sharing similar experiences. One user wrote, “You know what’s the worst? The ones who abused the system to get the GC and Citizenship will never be the ones punished, it’ll always be the hard workers who don’t come from certain Indian states.” Another added, “The favoritism based on caste/region/language is definitely a problem. I have an older relative who’s a manager at a tech firm. She was talking about interviews and mentioned she interviewed two people for a role - an American and an Indian. She said she hired the Indian cos she was ‘our caste’. I wanted to throw up.”

Others went further, comparing H-1B visas to modern slavery. “H1B has been a shaky visa even before these new regulations… Basically amounting to a slavery visa… but make it fancy,” one user remarked, pointing out how corporations underpay “skilled talent” and outsource only low-priority work.

The controversy comes just days after the US government hiked the H-1B visa application fee to $100,000 for new applicants, a move expected to hit Indian IT firms hardest.