Indian High-Skilled Migration Fueled Silicon Valley and India’s IT Export Rise
Economist Gaurav Khanna argues that Indian high-skilled migration to the United States during the internet-era tech boom was not a simple case of brain drain. In his account, Indian programmers and computer scientists helped expand US technology production and innovation, while the prospect of migration, visa limits and return migration helped build India’s own skilled workforce and IT networks. The result, he says, was a “brain circulation” channel that contributed both to Silicon Valley’s growth and to India’s emergence as the world’s largest IT exporter.
Hoover Institution·May 11, 2026·5 min read
