134: Navigating the Mass Layoff in Silicon Valley

Sophie Alcorn Podcast

In this special edition of Immigration Law for Tech Startups, I'm joined by expert attorney Lynda Hagerty as we discuss the mass layoffs in Silicon Valley. Thousands of laid-off individuals are on work visas and it's definitely a stressful time. We’re going to talk about all of the ramifications and what all this means for the state of immigration in the United States.

Twitter has laid off nearly 50% of its workforce and many names in tech are expected to follow, including big tech companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Intel. So far 416 startups and tech-oriented companies in the U.S. have laid off individuals between April and October compared to only 20 in the first quarter. There are also several hiring freezes taking place at Apple and Amazon, as well as a looming crypto winter with NFT and cryptocurrency exchange marketplaces like Robinhood and Coinbase, letting go of 20% to 30% of their workforce.

Please share this episode with companies, HR and recruiting professionals, startup founders, international talent, or anyone who can benefit from it. Sign up for the Alcorn monthly newsletter to receive the latest immigration news and issues. Reach out to us if we can help you determine the best immigration options for yourself, your company, your employees or prospective employees, or your family whether in the U.S. or abroad.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• What it means for companies doing layoffs
• What it means for the people being laid off and their spouses, and alternative options available
• How this impacts the PERM process
• An option for green card self-petition
• What to keep in mind if you’re looking to start a tech startup in the U.S.

Don’t miss my upcoming conversations with top Silicon Valley venture capitalists, startup founders, professors, futurists, and thought leaders on Immigration Law for Tech Startups. Subscribe to this podcast here or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or whatever your favorite platform is. As always, we welcome your rating and review of this podcast. We appreciate your feedback!

Alcorn Immigration Law:

• Subscribe to the monthly Alcorn newsletter

• Immigration Law for Tech Startups podcast:

• • Episode 129: H-1B Trends with Robert Bouchard, The H-1B Guy

• • Episode Episode 131: Immigration and the Future of Human Flight with Guanhao Wu

• • Episode 132: H-1B’s in 2023 with Lynda Hagerty

• Immigration Options for Talent, Investors, and Founders
• Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook

Extraordinary Ability Bootcamp course for best practices for securing the O-1A visa, EB-1A green card, or the EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) green card—the top options for startup founders. Use promotion code ILTS for 20% off the enrollment fee.