H-1 B visa blamed as Walmart lays off 1,500, MAGA links it to Indian-origin CTO

Walmart's decision to lay off over 1,500 employees has made MAGA supporters claim that the company was replacing American employees with foreign workers on H-1B visas. Their reaction was largely fuelled by the fact that one of the affected departments is Walmart’s global tech division. Without any evidence, they have also linked a top Indian-origin executive to Walmart's decision.

The facts first. The lay-offs aren't taking place in the global tech division, but also in several other departments, like the US e-commerce segment and Walmart Connect, the company's advertising arm, neither of which are linked to H-1B visa hiring, which typically applies to skilled tech professionals.

The decision to cut nearly 1,500 jobs is aimed at streamlining operations and enhancing decision-making efficiency at Walmart, according to Bloomberg, which was privy to some internal discussions.

However, the blame on the non-immigrant visa comes amid blanket statements that H-1B visas and immigrants "take away Americans' jobs".

Indians make up the largest share of H-1B visa holders. In 2022, Indians made up 77% of the 320,000 approved H-1B visas. In fiscal year 2023, they still accounted for 72.3% of the 386,000 visas issued.

MAGA RAGE ON WALMART: INDIAN CONNECTION TO LAY-OFFS

Some social media users also speculated that the lay-offs came after Walmart was granted 3,800 H-1B visas, although no proof was given.

"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 X user wrote.

"1500. Wow, that's a bloodbath. How many H-1Bs are they bringing in next year?," stated another person.

One person even shared a photo of Walmart’s Global CTO, Suresh Kumar, and questioned whether it was coincident that more than 40% of the company’s IT workforce reportedly comprised H-1B hired from India.

"Walmart has nearly 3,500 H-1B openings with a median salary of $139,000. This isn’t "high skilled". They’re intentionally replacing American workers with foreigners," shared another person.

"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," said one person.

Many blamed the Trump administration.

"Less than a month after this announcement, Walmart would begin their biggest wave of layoffs in years, while adding thousands of foreign workers at the same time. They have kept up the trend the entire Biden Administration," one person said.

"How much you want to bet that #Walmart is replacing many of those laid off with #H1B. You are failing America each passing day Donald Trump," wrote a person on X.

WHAT WALMART SAYS ABOUT THE LAY-OFFS

In a memo reviewed by Bloomberg, CTO Suresh Kumar and US CEO John Furner stated that the decision to cut nearly 1,500 jobs aims to streamline operations and enhance decision-making efficiency.

Walmart is the largest private employer in the United States, with around 1.6 million workers. Globally, it employs about 2.1 million people. It’s also the biggest US importer, bringing in nearly 60% of its goods, like clothes, electronics and toys, from China.

This round of job cuts follows several other changes in recent months. In February, Walmart closed its office in North Carolina and shifted employees to other main offices in California and Arkansas.

In April, the retail giant announced it would raise prices, citing Trump's tariffs as excessively high — especially on goods manufactured in China.

Walmart's move to lay off 1,500 employees is cannot be linked to H-1B visas directly.

According to the Bloomberg report, Walmart is cutting corporate staff in the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, and other offices, people familiar with the matter said, as the world's biggest retailer looks to trim costs and contend with economic volatility.