Trump’s H-1B Effect: Google Planning Big in India

Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, is preparing for expanding its business in India. According to a report in Bloomberg, the global tech giant has already leased one office tower and is planning to secure two more at Alembic City, a commercial project in Bengaluru’s Whitefield tech corridor. The three towers would provide nearly 2.4 million square feet office space to Alphabet.

Industry experts said that the global tech giant’s plan to have a strong presence in India is due to the Trump administration’s stricter visa norms. The exorbitant hike of the H-1B visa fee, up to $100,000 per application, is proving to be an expensive issue for the tech companies.

With AI’s prominence increasing in the tech industry, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic PBC have already opened their offices in India.

The Bloomberg report mentioned that all the three towers would begin functioning by the end of next year and would provide employment to 20,000 additional employees.

Trump’s administration has been cracking down on immigrants, especially Indians, to retain jobs for Americans but the tech companies are countering the move by setting up operations out of the country. The tech companies’ plans to move to India should make the Trump administration redesign its plans to retain jobs for Americans.