Hours after Vice President JD Vance suspended Microsoft from a green card programme for H-1B workers, Trump gave medals to six tech leaders, including Microsoft's Satya Nadella.5 min readOct 9, 2026 10:32 AM IST First published on: Oct 9, 2026 at 10:18 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookPresident Donald Trump, right, presents the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during an event at the US Institute of Peace. (Photo: AP)United States President Donald Trump gave medals to six tech leaders on Thursday, including Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella, just hours after Vice-President JD Vance said Microsoft was being suspended from a programme that lets firms apply for green cards for skilled foreign workers on H-1B visas.Vance accused the company of misusing the visa system. Five of the six people Trump honoured were born outside the US, as reported by the Associated Press (AP). The two events on the same day show the gap between the administration’s push to cut immigration and its reliance on tech firms to drive the economy.What Vance said about MicrosoftVance made the announcement at a news conference before the medal ceremony. He told reporters Microsoft is a US company that should hire US workers, and said firms cannot lay off American staff and replace them with “foreign indentured servants”. He said Microsoft fired 6,000 US workers last year but also got 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,000 green cards.President Donald Trump, right, presents the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during an event at the US Institute of Peace. (Photo: AP)Microsoft is based in Redmond, Washington, and has 223,000 employees worldwide. In a statement, the company said most of its H-1B applications last fiscal year were to extend or change the status of people who already work for it. Asked about the clash with the ceremony, Vance said the administration will keep supporting Microsoft and has a good relationship with it.Who is Satya Nadella?Satya Nadella is the chief executive of Microsoft. He was born in Hyderabad, India, and studied electrical engineering at Manipal Institute of Technology before moving to the US for further study.Story continues below this adMicrosoft CEO Satya Nadella listens as President Donald Trump speaks during an event at the US Institute of Peace. (Photo: AP)He joined Microsoft in 1992 and became its chief executive in February 2014, taking over from Steve Ballmer. He has also been chairman since 2021. Under him, the company has put its focus on cloud computing and artificial intelligence.Trump honours six tech leadersTrump gave the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Nadella and to Michael Dell, the chief executive of Dell Technologies. Dell backs the government’s investment accounts for children, known as Trump Accounts. The National Medal of Science went to Elon Musk of SpaceX, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Lisa Su, chief executive of AMD.Also read Microsoft, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, Cognizant, HCL and Capgemini hit by US H-1B, Green Card crackdownIn his remarks on Nadella, Trump said nothing about Microsoft’s hiring of foreign workers. He spoke instead about Nadella’s role in the company’s change over more than 30 years. He called the group “national treasures” and compared them to his uncle John Trump, an MIT engineer and professor who received the National Medal of Science in 1983. Nadella thanked Trump on social media and said he looks forward to working together on technology. A White House spokesperson, Liz Huston, said the winners are helping the US stay ahead in innovation.Five of six were born abroad, and universities are in the frameMusk was born in South Africa, Brin in Russia, and Huang and Su in Taiwan. Nadella moved to the US from India. Dell, born in Texas, is the only one of the six born in the US. The Trump team says it can tell apart top-level immigrants who start major firms from workers it says have hurt US jobs.Most Read1Microsoft, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, Cognizant, HCL and Capgemini hit by US H-1B, Green Card crackdown2Pakistan jets used in strikes against Houthis in Yemen: NYT report3Microsoft, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, Cognizant, HCL and Capgemini hit by US H-1B, Green Card crackdown4US military to livestream firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan5Texas executes 46-year-old, first US execution since Christa Pike survived lethal injection6‘Obama got it, he didn’t do anything’: Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize complaintStory continues below this adVance also said several universities, including Stanford and MIT, should be investigated for visa fraud. Huang and Brin have degrees from Stanford, and Su has several degrees from MIT.President Donald Trump, from right, poses with National Medal of Science recipients Google co-Founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, Lisa Su, CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, and National Media of Technology and Innovation recipients Dell CEO Michael Dell, obstructed, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during an event at the US Institute of Peace. (Photo: AP)The ceremony was part of a summit on a new “golden age” of science. Trump has praised tech leaders for their work on artificial intelligence, which he calls super intelligence, and he counts on it to support the economy. The midterm elections are less than a month away, and ABC News says polls show worry about AI moving too fast and about the cost of fuel and food.ABC News does not say how many Microsoft staff are affected by the suspension or how long it will last. Indian workers at US firms should watch for updates from their employers and from US immigration authorities.AdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementLive BlogMadurantakam, Dharapuram By-Election Result 2026 LIVE: AIADMK holds slim lead in Dharapuram, TVK in Madurantakam6 minutes agoNana Patekar Death Updates: Anil Kapoor remembers his late friend ‘Nanya’; son Malhar explains actor’s late night cremation11 minutes agoNagaon By-Election Result 2026 LIVE Updates: BJP takes early lead as AIUDF, Congress lag behind12 minutes agoUS Iran War Live News Updates: Scott Bessent says US will keep targeting those enabling Iranian oil sales13 minutes agoNandigram, Rejinagar By-Election Result 2026 LIVE: BJP leads in Nandigram, Rejinagar; counting underway20 minutes agoAdvertisement