A Chinese software engineer’s ambition to work for Google abruptly ended just weeks after joining the tech giant, as thousands of H-1B visa holders who are working there are facing uncertainty about their job prospects and job opportunities at the tech giant.
Gu Yichen, 31, had a career in the US for years. After the struggles of getting an H-1B work visa (as well as some good experience at Amazon) he finally got what he described as his dream job at Google. But a sudden wave of layoffs changed the course of his career.
Business Insider reports that Gu chose to pursue higher education in the United States rather than face China’s fiercely competitive college entrance examination. What started as an academic decision evolved into a high-tech career in Silicon Valley.
After completing engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Gu joined Amazon and later became a full-time employee in 2017. Securing an H-1B visa was not easy, as he only secured an H-1B visa after three attempts, which was even more meaningful.
Dream Job Cut Short
In late 2022, during a time of huge hiring in the technology industry, Gu left Amazon to join Google.
Recalling the hiring environment, he said companies were expanding rapidly, interview processes were relatively easier, and compensation packages were highly attractive. For him, joining Google was the realization of a career ambition long in the making.
But only for a few weeks
Gu joined the company around Christmas, but in January 2023, Google announced one of the largest layoffs in its history as part of a wider cost-cutting strategy. His entire team was laid off before he had the chance to make any meaningful contribution to the project for which he had been hired.
H-1B Visa Pressure
But for foreign workers like Gu, losing a job is far more than just a matter of uncertainty with the money.
In the US, H-1B visa holders are usually given 60 days to find another employer that can sponsor their visa or risk their job status being terminated.
Instead of immediately looking for another position, Gu temporarily returned to China while hopeful that Google might rehire him.
He said that former Google employees who return within a certain period may not need to repeat the full interview process if suitable positions become available.
Return to Amazon
When waiting for opportunities, Gu received encouraging news from his former colleagues at Amazon.
His previous role had become available again, so he rejoined his former team in Sunnyvale, California.
Because Amazon had previously sponsored his H-1B visa, returning to the company allowed him to continue working without restarting the lengthy immigration process.
He is now in a green card application process for permanent residency in the US.
Lessons from the Experience
Looking back, Gu said the experience taught him that even jobs at the world’s biggest technology companies offer no guarantee of long-term security.
It is often true that companies prioritize teams working on core products over experimental or research-oriented projects during restructuring, he said.
In his story, many skilled foreign professionals are finding it increasingly difficult to balance innovation with cost-cutting in technology companies.
To thousands of H-1B workers, employment stability is closely tied to immigration status, and so unexpected layoffs are stressful even in the global economy.
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