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Fresh H-1B row as Walmart slashes 1500 tech jobs, Indian-origin Suresh Kumar blamed

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The H-1B row and India hatred on social media got fresh fuel after Walmart announced that it is set to lay off approximately 1,500 employees. The affected departments will be Walmart's technology unit, e-commerce fulfilment center and the advertising segment named Walmart Connect.

US tech workers fuming over H-1B programs linked the firing with the H-1B and said it was strategically done to hire foreign nationals in those posts. "Oh, guess what? The large layoffs today at Walmart are from its technology team. You know, the kind of US worker who's replaced by H1B," one wrote. Another user questioned, "1500. Wow, that's a bloodbath. How many H-1Bs are they bringing in next year?"

Some social media users suggested the move came a few weeks after Walmart was granted 3800 H-1B visas, though there is no evidence for the claim.

One viral post shared the photo of Suresh Kumar, the Global Chief Technology Officer of Walmart and said that it's no coincidence that over 40 per cent of Walmart's IT department is H-1B hiring from India.





Walmart's standoff with Trump

The job cuts at Walmart come at a time when the retail major is locked in a battle with Trump over tariffs. Trump accused Walmart of taking advantage of customers and rebuked the for passing on the tariff to shoppers. "Eat the tariff," Trump told Walmart asking them to absorb the impact of the tariffs.

Is Walmart firing linked with H-1B?

Walmart employs 1.6 million people in the country and more than 2.1 million globally. According to experts, H-1B could be one of the factors but AI is another. Walmart said it is cutting jobs in a bid to reduce expenses and streamline decision making. H-1B allows companies to hire foreign nationals for some skilled roles but they get less wages.
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