A political commentator and top US pollster, Mark Mitchel, stirred a row after saying he wants to launch a consultancy to help major American companies “de-Indianise,” raising questions about what the term actually means.Mitchell of Rasmussen Reports frequently appears on Steve Bannon’s (former Trump loyalist) War Room. The anti-immigrant preacher criticised the presence of Indian professionals in the US tech sector. “I have never in my life wanted anything more than this: to build a new corporate consultancy helping major firms de-Indianize,” he said in a post on X.Mitchell’s comments came after a discussion on immigration and the H-1B visa programme, which allows US companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers. He argued that Silicon Valley relies too heavily on engineers from countries such as India and China, claiming they are used as cheaper replacements for American workers. “We are talking 60,000, 70,000 dollars a year for roles that pay American engineers 150,000 or more,” he said, adding that American employees are often forced to “train their replacement before getting the boot,” and how Indians can ‘easily’ replace American workers. In a post on X, Mitchell said: “Americans think big tech is out of control. And also, big tech is Indian.” According to a 2025 industry index, around 66 per cent of Silicon Valley’s tech workforce is foreign-born. Of that, 23 per cent are Indian nationals and 18 per cent are Chinese. Yet H-1B holders account for only 0.3 to 0.4 per cent of America’s overall workforce of 163 million.Mitchell argued that the presence of Indian and other foreign engineers creates what he called a “bottomless well” of cheap labour that he believes makes life harder for American families. He even compared a single H-1B developer earning 90,000 dollars to importing ten undocumented labourers earning 9 dollars an hour, saying businesses see both as cost-cutting opportunities.
What is ‘de-Indianise ‘?
Mitchell used the term “de-Indianise” and raised eyebrows, as the phrase is not commonly used in policy discussions. The dictionary definition of Indianise means to bring something under the cultural or political influence of India or to make it resemble Indian customs. By extension, de-Indianise would mean reversing that process.Broadly, the term is used to imply removing Indian cultural or professional influence. This may include discouraging Indian practices, reducing the presence of Indian professionals, or distancing institutions from Indian identity. In political debates, the term can carry a negative tone, suggesting that something has become too influenced by Indian culture or by people of Indian origin and needs some kind of reform.
