In this episode of HR Heretics, Nolan talks to Immigration attorney Nicole Gunara (Manifest Law) who analyzes the new $100,000 H-1B policy that sparked rapid industry adaptation across Silicon Valley, breaking down how this strategic shift creates different advantages for big tech versus startups while driving companies to explore innovative alternative visa pathways.
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KEEP UP WITH NICOLE, NOLAN + KELLI ON LINKEDIN
Nicole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ngunara10/
Nolan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/
Kelli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellidragovich/
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LINKS:
Manifest Law: https://manifestlaw.com/
Gary Tan’s LinkedIn post: A $100K H1B fee won't bother big tech…
For coaching and advising inquire at https://kellidragovich.com/
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(01:51) What Happened Friday Night: The $100K H-1B Bombshell
(02:53) Monday Reality Check: What We Actually Know
(04:16) Clear vs. Unclear: Exemptions and Renewal Definitions
(07:49) Sponsors: Ethena | Planful
(10:58) Crisis Response Strategy: Audit, Pause, and Pivot
(15:56) The Alphabet Soup: Alternative Visa Pathways
(21:19) Sponsor: Metaview
(23:08) The O-1 Opportunity: 94.5% Approval Rates Explained
(24:43) The Startup Dilemma: Gary Tan vs. Big Tech Advantage
(28:57) Strategic or Chaotic? The Department of Labor Clue
(30:13) America's STEM Pipeline Problem: The Real Policy Driver
(32:21) Wrap
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