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Hi friends, thanks for reading Newley’s Notes.
WHAT I WROTE IN THE WSJ
– Indian Outsourcing Firms Prep for Curbs on H–1B Visa Workers Under Trump. The story begins:
President-elect Donald Trump doesn’t take office in Washington until Friday, but he is already forcing firms in India’s mammoth $108 billion technology-outsourcing industry to rethink their hiring practices in the U.S., their largest market.
While Mr. Trump has chastised U.S. firms for offshoring American jobs, Indian outsourcing firms could be set to see renewed heat for doing the opposite—placing foreign workers in the U.S., mainly through a skilled-worker visa, known as the H–1B. Faced with the prospect of possible new curbs on those visas from a president who has pledged to ensure that Americans get their first pick of available jobs, outsourcers are ramping up hiring both on American college campuses and at home in India.
– H–1B Visas: How Donald Trump Could Change America’s Skilled Worker Visa Rules. The story begins:
During his campaign, President Donald Trump assailed a skilled-worker visa program used to send foreigners to the U.S., and in his inaugural speech Friday he said the country would “follow two simple rules; buy American and hire American.”
Indian outsourcing firms are already preparing for potential changes to visa rules, which could present a challenge because they send thousands of workers to the U.S. every year via the H–1B program.
So how much, and how quickly, could Mr. Trump change the regulations?
A significant shakeup would likely need to be approved by Congress, though there are some steps Mr. Trump could take himself immediately, analysts say.
– Apple Said to Be Near Deal to Manufacture Products in India. The story begins:
Apple Inc. is nearing a deal to manufacture its products in India, according to a senior government official, as the company seeks to boost its sales in a market that is home to more than 1.2 billion people.
A team of executives led by Priya Balasubramaniam, an Apple vice president, met with senior Indian government officials in New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss the firm’s proposals, the official said.
“It’s almost a done deal,” said the official, who has direct knowledge of the matter.
WHAT I WROTE AT NEWLEY.COM
– Book Notes: The Innovator’s Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen. My notes from the 1997 business classic that gave rise to the term “disruptive innovation."
– Is This Arsenal’s Year? Probably not. But still. One can hope, no?
– The difference between saying something and actually doing it. Insprired by an interaction with an Uber driver here in New Delhi.
5 ITEMS THAT ARE WORTH YOUR TIME THIS WEEK:
1) A history professor analyzes the so-called “alt-right.” The Univeristy of Massachusetts Amherst’s Daniel Gordon says he discerns a “cluster of conservative principles that need to be understood if we wish to comprehend the terms of political debate that are going to endure in America for many years to come.”
Ignore the headline and read the whole thing. I haven’t had time to think too deeply about it, but it raises some interesting questions.
2) Trump will put American institutions to the test, but they will survive, Francis Fukuyama argues. He writes:
Americans believe deeply in the legitimacy of their constitutional system, in large measure because its checks and balances were designed to provide safeguards against tyranny and the excessive concentration of executive power. But that system in many ways has never been challenged by a leader who sets out to undermine its existing norms and rules. So we are embarked in a great natural experiment that will show whether the United States is a nation of laws or a nation of men.
3) Why do movie villains often have British accents? I’m not sure this piece answers the question, but it’s a thought-provoking look at perceptions and speech.
4) Rich people in Silicon Valley are girding for the apocalypse. Fun New Yorker story by Evan Osnos that will not surprise fans of the show “Doomsday Preppers.”
5) And finally, just because: This dude created crossbow that fires in full automatic mode. #Ingenuity.
NEWLEY’S NOTES SHOUTOUTS
– Thanks to longtime pal Wendy H., who last week tweeted:
“Anytime I learn a new use for square knots AND for viewing YouTube, I’m happy. Sign up for @Newley ’s Notes: http://www.tinyletter.com/newley”
What’d I miss? Send me links, rants, raves, and anything else! My email: n@newley.com
Thanks for reading.
Love,
Newley