Prompt's TechBlog

Bill Gates went before Congress yesterday to talk about how restrictions on the visas available for skilled workers are "driving away the world's best and brightest precisely when we need them most."

"Our lost opportunities are [other countries'] gains", he said. "I personally witness the ill effects of these policies on an almost daily basis at Microsoft."

Doesn't that statement seem a little absurd? Gates is undoubtedly not going through the halls of Microsoft every day, sitting in on coding sessions where people are saying, "I used to know the best hash summer in all these parts from UseNet, but Baidu hired him because he couldn't get a visa."

Gates' suggestion was to make it easier for foreign students to settle in the United States once they graduated, and make it easier for highly skilled workers to obtain permanent resident status.

I can see why this matters to the perspective of the US Congress, but why does it concern Gates? Doesn't Microsoft have international campuses? (I would link to the page that shows them, but Microsoft's website is serving up a very nifty 404 page in their stead.) Do rolls of dollar bills give Gates fewer paper cuts than any other currency?

My question: At this point, does a progressive, developing Microsoft actually even benefit from increased United States competitiveness?