American Military News by Ethan Baron - Mercury News March 12, 2025
It’s no secret that the skills and labor of workers from other countries helps fuel Silicon Valley’s innovation, but a new report has put a number to it: 66% of technology workers in the region are foreign born, according to the 2025 Silicon Valley Index produced by think tank Joint Venture Silicon Valley.
“I think it does surprise a lot of people,” said Russ Hancock, Joint Venture’s CEO. “What we easily forget is that Silicon Valley is not an American phenomenon — it’s an international phenomenon. Silicon Valley was built by the best and the brightest coming from all quarters. Communities that draw on the whole world are communities that thrive.”
Venture capitalist Anis Uzzaman, CEO of San Jose-based Pegasus Tech Ventures and chair of the annual Startup World Cup, said foreign-born tech workers provide “key ingredients” for Silicon Valley startups and established companies.
“They bring diverse perspectives, world-class talent, unique problem-solving approaches, and global market insights,” Uzzaman said.
The proportion of tech workers who are foreign born is substantially higher than the percentage of foreign-born Silicon Valley residents, which hit a record high of 41% in 2023, Joint Venture reported.
Of tech workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher, 23% came from India and 18% from China, while 17% were born in California, according to the index.
The Valley’s reputation as the world’s leading technology hub and “a place where breakthrough things happen” plays a powerful role in drawing talent from around the globe, said Sean Randolph, senior director of the Economic Institute at the Bay Area Council, which represents businesses including major Silicon Valley tech companies Google, Meta and Apple.
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https://americanmilitarynews.com/2025/03/two-thirds-of-silicon-valley-tech-workers-are-foreign-born-new-report-reveals/
