More than half of the top American tech companies were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants, Mary Meeker revealed in her annual report on the future of the internet.
Industry giants Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook — accounting for a combined market valuation of roughly $3 trillion — were all founded by first or second generation immigrants.
Enterprise software firm Oracle counts two children of immigrants as founders, and all four founders of what would eventually become digital payments leader PayPal immigrated to the U.S.
Silicon Valley has stood in relatively vocal support of immigration in recent months, as the Trump administration eyes stricter regulations and shorter visas. Executives around the tech industry have called for an easing on restrictions and support for foreign students, in part to help close the country’s tech talent gap.
Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and technology investing luminary, presented her annual report on internet trends Wednesday at Recode’s Code Conference.
Her manifesto on the tech industry has become an annual event. This year’s report focused on the “privacy paradox” of collecting data for profit and the scrutiny that comes with rapid digital growth.
Here’s her full 2018 presentation:
