Silicon Valley exec ignites firestorm after accusing JD Vance of bringing DEI back

Key Points:

• Ankit Gupta, general partner at Y Combinator, faced backlash after labeling Vice President JD Vance’s call for American companies to "hire and train Americans" as a return of "DEI," sparking criticism from officials and public figures who argued this prioritizes American workers.
• Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito and others pushed back against Gupta's framing, emphasizing that prioritizing American jobs is about putting citizens first, not about diversity initiatives.
• FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson criticized Gupta for attacking American workers and suggested Y Combinator may align with far-left interests, while Gupta blocked Ferguson on social media amid the controversy.
• Harmeet Dhillon from the Justice Department accused some companies of exploiting visa programs to hire cheaper foreign labor, calling such practices illegal and unpatriotic, with federal agencies working to protect American workers' job opportunities.
• The dispute occurs amid the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to overhaul the H-1B visa program, including proposals to increase fees and adjust wage calculations to discourage hiring foreign workers at below-market wages.