James Fishback, CEO of investment firm Azoria, seems to be extremely critical of the H-1B visa, like many Americans who believe foreign workers are taking their job opportunities. Ever since US President Donald Trump imposed hefty fees on H-1B visas, Fishback, who was once the principal architect of the “DOGE checks” initiative, has given multiple interviews calling out the H-1B program.
He has criticised companies for hiring Indians, particularly when they claim they have no choice but to use H-1B visas because they “can’t find Americans for these jobs.”
‘Stop hiring Indians’
“The H-1B scam is hurting Americans, especially in Florida. If companies in FL want to hire skilled workers, stop importing Indians and hire recent grads from FSU, UF, FAU, and UCF,” Fishback wrote in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter). “They are brilliant, hungry, and love our state,” he added. The American entrepreneur has frequently pointed out the gap between skilled American graduates and the positions filled by foreign H-1B workers, arguing that US companies are not interested in hiring domestic talent.
On Saturday, the former DOGE architect pointed out the excuses companies give for H-1B hiring. In a video shared on X, he said, “So-called American companies say they have no choice but to use the H-1B program because they ‘can’t find Americans for these jobs.’ Here’s the ugly truth: they’re not even looking for Americans. They refuse to interview them. They hide job postings in obscure newspapers to “check the box,” and when no one “applies,” they import another foreign worker, denying yet another qualified American a job, a wage, and the dignity and purpose that come with both. It’s disgraceful. It’s time to finally and fully dismantle the H-1B scamDeep Insights.”
He continued, “The companies are not hiring Americans, who are far more qualified than the cheap foreign labor from India. The Indians and Chinese think they are better off, but they too end up getting exploited. Otherwise, I have no sympathy for them, because they are treating us like slaves in our own country.”
So-called American companies say they have no choice but to use the H-1B program because they “can’t find Americans for these jobs.”
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) October 26, 2025
Here’s the ugly truth: they’re not even looking for Americans. They refuse to interview them. They hide job postings in obscure newspapers to… pic.twitter.com/N1IRfh3lz7
‘Made in America’ should mean jobs for American
During a recent interview with Fox News, Fishback was asked if ending H-1B visas would reduce skilled foreign workers coming to the US He responded, “We don’t need to import foreign workers from India. We already have skilled Americans right here at home.”
During the conversations, he recounted visiting Florida State University to meet students studying AI and computer science and revealed how American students there were worried that companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, and Apple were prioritising H-1B hires.
Fishback argued that “Made in America” should mean jobs for Americans. He believes the current system unfairly favours foreign workers over domestic talent. He also warned voters to ask politicians about H-1B: “If a politician does not support immediately ending the H-1B scam… don’t vote for them. It doesn’t matter if they’re Republican or Democrat—they are choosing cheap foreign labour over qualified Americans.” He says 2026 should be the year to stand up for American workers.
Who is James Fishback?
Back in June, Fishback made headlines after announcing that he was stepping away from DOGE following Elon Musk’s criticism of Donald Trump. Fishback also demanded that Musk apologise to the president. “The truth is, Elon set expectations for the President, me, and the country that he did not come close to fulfilling. That’s disappointing, but okay. What’s not okay is his baseless personal attacks against President Trump,” he said at the time.
Fishback, 30, is the founder and CEO of investment firm Azoria. He previously worked at Greenlight Capital in 2021 before founding Azoria in 2023. Fishback also runs Incubate Debate, a non-profit helping high school students develop debating skills. In December, he visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate to introduce the Azoria Meritocracy ETF, an investment fund targeting S&P 500 companies that avoid diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. He has also worked with former DOGE representative Vivek Ramaswamy.
