Even as the United States tightens its H-1B visa rules, America’s biggest tech companies are expanding their footprint in India. In 2025, firms like Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Google together added more than 32,000 employees in the country. Regardless of fresh restrictions on the H-1B visa programme in US, major American technology companies closed 2025 by hiring more than 32,000 new employees in India.
The companies including Facebook (Meta), Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix and Google (Alphabet), collectively known as FAAMNG recorded an 18 percent year-on-year increase in hiring. This pushed their total workforce in India to 214,000, according to data from specialist staffing firm Xpheno accessed by Moneycontrol. The increase in the number shows that India’s rising role as a key global talent base, especially as companies look for skills linked to artificial intelligence and next-generation digital technologies.
According to Xpheno, the hiring momentum in 2025 marks the strongest growth seen in recent years. “The net headcount growth of the cohort for 2025 is the highest over the last 3 years period,” Kamal Karanth, Co-founder, Xpheno told Moneycontol. Data from Xpheno and TeamLease Digital shows that FAAMNG companies currently have between 3,000 and 5,000 active job openings in India.
Though hiring numbers are rising, experts say Big Tech is being highly selective about who it hires. Regardless of the spurt in headcount addition, the American tech giants continue to hire only for targeted roles rather than generalist roles, said Neeti Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Digital to Moneycontrol. Companies are focusing on specialised, high-impact roles instead of large-scale hiring for traditional IT or support functions.
In 2025, Big Tech hiring was concentrated around newer digital skills. These include roles in AI and machine learning operations, data engineering, analytics, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and governance. The overall net headcount growth remains limited, the demand for these specialised roles has increased by nearly 25–30 percent, according to TeamLease Digital.
“Demand is majorly concentrated on high-value, specialised tech skills rather than legacy support functions, reflecting strategic shifts toward innovation and emerging tech adoption,” said Sharma to Moneycontrol.
Companies are not yet hiring heavily for direct AI roles, experts say. Instead, they are building surrounding capabilities that will support AI adoption in the long term.
“The changes in hiring, owing to AI, will be evident in the next 2 – 3 year period,” Karanth told Moneycontrol.
India becomes a strategic base for global tech firms
Beyond hiring, Big Tech companies are rapidly expanding their physical and operational presence in India, using it as a hedge against global uncertainty and as access to a deep talent pool. In the October–December quarter alone, Google announced a $15 billion investment to set up a large-scale artificial intelligence hub in Visakhapatnam. The project is expected to create over 100,000 jobs in five years.
Microsoft has committed $17.5 billion to strengthen India’s cloud and AI infrastructure, expand skilling programmes, and build sovereign digital capabilities. Amazon, meanwhile, plans to invest $35 billion over the next five years, spanning quick commerce, cloud computing, and logistics. The company expects to create one million additional jobs in India by 2030.
These are among the largest investments announced by global tech companies in India so far.
New offices, campuses and long-term leases
Several Big Tech firms have also made significant real estate investments in India. In August 2025, OpenAI announced it would open its first India office in New Delhi later this year. Microsoft leased 2.65 lakh sq. ft. of office space in Hyderabad at a monthly rent of about Rs 5.4 crore. Apple signed a 10-year lease in Bengaluru worth over Rs 1,010 crore. Meta announced a new office in Bengaluru, hiring for engineering and product roles.
What H-1B curbs mean for hiring in 2026
Industry experts expect the impact of H-1B visa restrictions to become clearer in 2026, potentially pushing more companies to hire locally in India. There could be some moderation in hiring later in the year, depending on clarity around talent movement, service purchases, and overseas job transfers by US firms.
“A negotiated H1B regime may result in restart of local expat talent hiring and talent migration, however overseas locations will remain competitive on a dollar & cent basis,” Karanth told Moneycontrol. He added, “Engaging talent in India remains a cost-effective option even after factoring in a 25 per cent cess that the proposed HIRE act may bring in. However, the immediate effect of the H-1B policy is not visible in the active hiring funnels of the FAAMNG cohort.”
According to TeamLease Digital, while traditional IT hiring may grow only in low single digits and mostly for replacement roles, Big Tech hiring in India is expected to grow 16–20 percent in 2026. “But the hiring will be increasingly selective and capability-led, focused on AI, data platforms, cloud infrastructure, and security,” Sharma told Moneycontrol.
She added that hiring decisions will be shaped more by changes in delivery models than by visa rules alone. “Headcount addition strategies will revolve around reshaping delivery models, pushing firms to reduce onsite dependency and deepen India-based ownership of global products and platforms.”