Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review - Big Tech/small tech divide over $100K visa fee
4 snips
Sep 26, 2025 
Maria Curi, a tech policy reporter, dives into the complexities of the new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas, highlighting how it impacts startups versus big tech. She discusses the implications of SIM farms, which could jamming emergency lines and link to organized crime. The conversation also touches on the backlash against an AI-generated voice in France’s Tomb Raider, underscoring the current limitations of AI in the entertainment industry and raising important legal and union questions.
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Broad Exemption Gives DHS Big Leverage
- The exemption clause gives DHS broad, vague discretion to waive the $100,000 H-1B fee for individuals, companies, or industries.
- Maria Curi warns that this creates leverage for the administration to pick winners and losers.
Companies Seek Quick Clarity On Fee Rules
- Companies are actively trying to get clarity because the policy created major uncertainty for employees.
- Maria Curi says there is no clear timeline for when exemptions or rules will be defined.
STEM Pipeline Won't Fill Short-Term Gaps
- The U.S. has domestic STEM capacity but lacks enough trained workers to meet current industry demand.
- Maria Curi notes boosting the STEM pipeline will take years and could hamstring tech ambitions if foreign hires are blocked.