A video from NYU Tandon School of Engineering showcasing students securing jobs at tech giants like Google and Amazon has sparked racist backlash online. The video showed an interviewer approaching students with a microphone during their graduation ceremony, asking them about their post-college plans and capturing their responses. Shared on Instagram by @nyutandon, the video featured students, many of whom appeared to be of South Asian descent, announcing their job offers. While intended to celebrate their achievements, the video drew hateful comments on platforms like Instagram and X, targeting their perceived Indian or Chinese backgrounds.
In the video, one woman said that she landed a software engineer role at Google, and another secured a position at Amazon in Seattle. Users noted the students’ South Asian descent based on their appearance and accents, sparking debate.
“Engineering students reveal their job offers in the tech industry,” the video was captioned.
Watch the video here:
Comments on Instagram and posts on X revealed a barrage of hateful rhetoric, with users mocking the students’ accents, names, and ethnicities. Some expressed resentment, claiming that “foreigners” were “stealing” high-paying tech jobs from American citizens.
One user wrote, “Indians and Chinese joining big tech giants in US, meanwhile, Mr. Donald Trump.”
Another commented, “They are all Asian and they got a scholarship to study in America given by America, but American students can’t get scholarships when their parents are the ones paying taxes. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
A third said, “Americans raise their kids to worship Taylor Swift and Beyonce while other cultures are raising tech powerhouses and scientists.”
A fourth added, “All these immigrants are making America great.”
The comments reflect a broader wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly against South Asians, amid debates over skilled immigration and H-1B visas. Indians make up a significant portion of H-1B visa recipients–about 70% of the 85,000 visas issued annually, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
