Conrad Burke, President of Innovalight, a solar energy company, noted that China's universities will graduate 700,000 engineers this year, while America's will graduate a tenth that number.
Burke quipped that he had become an expert on US immigration law over the past two years as he searched for qualified workers.
"It is difficult getting visas, there are caps," Burke said, who emigrated from Ireland to America a decade ago. "Certainly we need some help."
Vivek Ranadive, CEO of Tibco, who came from India to the US for college and graduate school and stayed to start a high-tech company, shared his own experience. He said this testifies the importance of welcoming talented immigrants. Innovation is a key to growth of America, Ranadive argued drawing applause.
"The innovation that is going on is going on in my backyard," he said "It will go on forever, as long as we continue to accept smart people."
However, Tibco currently employs only Americans and does not yet outsource to India or any other developing nation. "I pay over $100,000 and yet face problems from workers who ask for overtime after 5 p.m." This makes it extremely difficult to sustain business in America, he argued.
Image: Republican presidential nominee John McCain speaking with Silicon Valley CEOs.
Also read: Indian CEOs head 10 Fortune firms
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