Y Combinator General Partner Ankit Gupta is facing criticism online after arguing that prioritizing American workers in hiring amounts to a form of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. The comments have drawn attention from critics of the H-1B visa program, including Nalin Haley, the son of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Gupta, a general partner at Y Combinator, made the remarks in response to Vice President JD Vance, who has advocated for companies to prioritize American workers in hiring.
In his response, Gupta described it as “DEI” to “prop up” Americans as a “preferred group.” The comments quickly became part of a broader debate over whether companies should be free to recruit talent globally or give preference to American workers for jobs based in the United States.
Gupta’s X account has since been set to private.
Haley pushed back against Gupta’s argument, questioning why hiring and training American workers should be characterized as DEI.
“It’s now DEI to train and hire Americans?” Haley wrote on X. “Plenty of data to show that Americans are more than qualified, but corporate greed refuses to pay them respectable wages.”
Haley went on to argue that merit-based hiring should include American workers and renewed his call for an end to the H-1B visa program.
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“You can have a meritocracy in AMERICA but it has to apply to AMERICANS,” he wrote. “Otherwise we’re just a globalist entity and not even a country anymore. Ban the H-1B Visa now!”
He further added, “This is why republicans can’t blindly follow the free market. It sent factory jobs overseas in the 80’s, encouraged illegal immigration and illegal labor, and now it’s replacing literally every white collar job. Corporate greed will kill our country just as much as the Leftists.”
Who is Ankit Gupta?
Gupta is a technology entrepreneur and investor who joined Y Combinator as a general partner. Before joining the startup accelerator, he co-founded Reverie Labs, a company that used machine learning for drug discovery and eventually advanced its own medicines into clinical development.
Reverie Labs was acquired by Ginkgo Bioworks in 2024.
Before founding Reverie, Gupta worked as a deep learning researcher and published research at major machine learning conferences, including the International Conference on Machine Learning, or ICML. He holds a BA and an MS in computer science from Harvard University.
His background in artificial intelligence and technology puts him at the center of the same talent and hiring ecosystem that has long relied on skilled immigrant workers, including H-1B visa holders.
Nalin Haley’s long-running opposition to H-1B visas
Haley has previously been outspoken against the H-1B program. In December 2025, he called for a complete ban on H-1B visas while arguing that the program should not come at the expense of American workers.
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“You can’t be stranded in your own country,” Haley wrote on X at the time. “The Indian government is only complaining cuz they want their remittance money. Delaying visas is good but not enough. We need a complete H-1B visa ban.”
His latest criticism of Gupta fits into that broader position, putting him at odds with technology executives and investors who argue that American companies need access to skilled workers from around the world.
The dispute between Gupta and Haley reflects a larger argument over what should come first in the U.S. labor market.
Supporters of the H-1B program generally argue that companies need the freedom to recruit specialized talent globally, particularly in industries such as technology, artificial intelligence, engineering and healthcare. While MAGA contend that employers should first invest in American workers and that the visa program can contribute to wage pressure or reduce opportunities for U.S. employees.
The disagreement is increasingly being framed through political labels such as “America First” and “DEI,” but the underlying questions are more complicated.
For now, neither Gupta nor Y Combinator has publicly announced any changes to its investment strategy, hiring practices or institutional position as a result of the controversy. Unless Gupta or Y Combinator provides a further statement, it remains unclear whether the backlash will have any broader impact on the accelerator or its portfolio companies.