XBOX CEO Asha Sharma joins Fed task force amid H-1B foreign worker row

Key Points:

• Asha Sharma, CEO of Microsoft's Xbox division, was appointed to a Federal Reserve task force on "Productivity and Jobs" amid controversy over recent layoffs of 1,600 employees and Microsoft's approval to hire thousands of foreign H-1B visa workers.
• Microsoft announced a total of 4,800 layoffs this year, while being authorized to hire 2,273 foreign H-1B visa employees, sparking criticism that American jobs are being replaced by cheaper foreign labor.
• Critics have expressed outrage over Sharma's appointment to the Federal Reserve advisory role, accusing the move of incentivizing mass layoffs of American workers in favor of foreign visa holders, with some comments highlighting perceived racial and experience-related concerns.
• Microsoft clarified that many of the H-1B visas were renewals or transfers within the U.S. workforce and that the majority of layoffs did not affect American roles, emphasizing Xbox as the largest employer of American workers in the gaming industry.
• Amid the backlash, Vice President JD Vance announced an investigation into H-1B visa fraud, signaling increased federal scrutiny over the visa program and its impact on American employment.