Former presidential candidate Nikki Haley took to X to criticize entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy after he published a long-winded post on the platform attempting to explain why tech companies may employ more foreign skilled workers instead of American workers.
In his post published on Thursday, Ramaswamy discussed the shortcomings within American culture that he believed resulted in foreign-born workers becoming much more skilled in STEM fields than American workers.
"The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over 'native' Americans isn't because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation)," he wrote.
"A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if we're really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH: Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn't start in college, it starts YOUNG," he continued.
The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over “native” Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 26, 2024
Ramaswamy delved into various aspects of American culture, including American high school culture as well as television culture, to point to examples of American daily life that he believed was holding U.S. workers back from reaching the full potential that foreign workers were able to achieve.
"A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math Olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers," Ramaswamy wrote.
"A culture that venerates Cory from 'Boy Meets World,' or Zach & Slater over Screech in 'Saved by the Bell,' or 'Stefan' over Steve Urkel in 'Family Matters,' will not produce the best engineers," he continued.
However, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley voiced her strong disagreement to Ramaswamy's sentiments in a response to his post.
"There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers," she said.
There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers. https://t.co/fIGr45C3LD
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) December 26, 2024
Ramaswamy, who President-elect Donald Trump recently selected to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, is aligned with his co-chair Elon Musk in terms of his perspective on foreign-born workers.
On Wednesday, Musk took to X to voice his belief that the U.S. needed to recruit more foreign skilled workers to remain competitive in international STEM markets.
Musk stated that there was a "permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent" within the U.S., proposing that the issue be resolved by looking towards the work forces of other countries and selecting their most skilled employees.
There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 25, 2024
"Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win," he wrote.
No, we need more like double that number yesterday!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 25, 2024
The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low.
Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever…
Musk's post led to a slew of backlash at the time, with many accusing tech companies of not wanting to pay American workers more or dismissing applicants.
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