Amazon employee returns to India, sheds light on how managers in US exploited H1-B visa holders

A Reddit post by an Indian techie who recently returned from the United States is going viral for its blunt take on the H-1B visa system and workplace culture in big tech companies.

The user, who says he worked at Amazon USA before moving back to India last month, shared why he believes many Americans resent Indians taking jobs in Silicon Valley. His post sparked heated debate online, with thousands weighing in on the sensitive subject of immigration, favouritism, and workplace exploitation.

“Toxic behaviour by Indian managers”

The Redditor alleged that several Indian managers in US tech firms exploit employees on H-1B visas, taking advantage of their vulnerable immigration status.

“They know how complicated and fragile the situation is since they themselves went through it. Many push employees to work 24/7, something Americans won’t tolerate or hesitate to sue over,” he wrote.

See the post here:

Allegations of community-based hiring

The post further claimed that some tech giants show patterns of community-driven hiring.

• At Walmart, the Redditor said, Telugu-speaking managers allegedly prefer hiring Telugu candidates.
• At Intel, he claimed, Gujarati employees often look out for Gujarati candidates.
• The Redditor even recalled classmates playing cricket with Intel employees to secure internships.

According to him, such practices fuel resentment among American workers who perceive these patterns as favouritism.

Why Americans are upset

The post argues that when Americans see managers hiring primarily from their own communities, and exploiting visa workers in the process, the backlash is inevitable.

“Obviously, Americans will be pissed if they see this kind of favouritism. They’re not stupid,” he wrote, adding that stricter H-1B visa rules may reduce such practices.

Not all bad, but not for everyone

The Redditor clarified that his decision to move back was not solely due to workplace issues. He admitted he got valuable career opportunities in the US and did not regret the experience. However, visa complications and the difficulty of living “on two boats 24 hours apart” pushed him to return home.

Why the post is resonating

The candid account has touched a nerve online. While some agreed with his observations about exploitation and “ethnic clubs” in tech companies, others pushed back, saying such generalisations unfairly stereotype entire communities.

A user wrote, “You know what’s the worst? The ones who abused the system to get the GC and Citizenship will never be the ones punished, it’ll always be the hard workers who don’t come from certain Indian states.”

“People scammed the system and got through. Now they will never pay for it while they have effectively screwed people who would come after them. Scammed the system = using IT agents to get H1B,” another user commented.

“The favouritism based on caste/region/language is definitely a problem. I have an older relative who’s a manager at a tech firm. She was talking about interviews and mentioned she interviewed two people for a role - an American and an Indian. She said she hired the Indian cos she was “our caste”. I wanted to throw up,” the third wrote.

“The H1B although created with good intentions decades ago is being widely abused now & the abusers are none other than Indian software giants like TCS, Infosys, etc. It was overdue & I’m glad they made a decision to serve their own interests, as should be,” the fourth wrote.

"Not only Indian managers toxic but they also make employees work 100hrs a week, only to pip later. Everyone hates these ppl,' the fifth commented.

The debate comes at a time when the H-1B visa programme is under intense scrutiny in the US, with recent policy changes sparking fresh anxiety among thousands of Indian professionals.