5 Immigrant CEOs Win Top U.S. Science Honors from Trump

President Trump handed out the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to six tech leaders Thursday, and five were immigrants who built their careers in America.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who arrived from India in 1988 on a student visa, received his medal for "transformative leadership" that brought Microsoft into the cloud computing era. Nadella thanked the president and said he was "humbled to stand alongside so many giants of American innovation."

The other honorees included Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell, the only U.S.-born recipient. Google co-founder Sergey Brin came from Russia, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang from Taiwan, AMD CEO Lisa Su from Taiwan, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk from South Africa.

The ceremony highlighted how immigrant talent has shaped American technology leadership. Nadella wrote in his 2017 book "Hit Refresh" that his journey from temporary visa holder to CEO of one of America's most important companies wouldn't have been possible anywhere else.

"I am proud today to call myself an American citizen," he wrote.

The timing created an unusual contrast. Hours before the awards ceremony, the Trump administration suspended Microsoft from a federal program that helps foreign workers gain permanent residency. Vice President JD Vance said the company had "abused the system" but stressed that Microsoft remains "a great American company" that should hire more American workers.

The suspension affects the PERM program, which typically comes after workers spend years on temporary H-1B visas. Microsoft leads all companies in PERM applications, with over 3,000 decided last fiscal year. The government said it won't process Microsoft's pending applications either.

Microsoft responded that 80% of its H-1B applications last year were for people already working at the company, not new arrivals. The remaining 20% were for people already living legally in the U.S., equal to about 1% of Microsoft's American workforce.

The Bright Side

The awards ceremony itself told a powerful story about American opportunity. Five people born in other countries rose to lead companies that now define American technological leadership worldwide.

Nadella's path wasn't simple. When he married his wife Anu in 1992, her visa application was rejected because spouses of permanent residents faced years-long waits. He nearly quit Microsoft to move back to India before finding another way forward.

Three decades later, he stood in the White House receiving America's highest honor for technology innovation.

The recognition shows that immigrant contributions to American innovation remain valued at the highest levels, even as policies around work visas continue to evolve.