

Most high tech companies are founded by founded by First/2nd gen immigrants - gatsbysong
https://twitter.com/valaafshar/status/555560400092405760

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omonra
I'm an immigrant - but this is nonsense.

Out of the top 10, only Google (1 out 2 confounders) and Qualcom (1 of 7
cofounders) I'd count as companies that were built by real immigrants.

Incidentally both are Jews whose families left persecution in Europe (Italy
and USSR).

~~~
gwern
So this chart strongly suggests that we should seal the borders and chose only
from the Chosen as the optimal immigration policy?

~~~
omonra
That's a logical fallacy.

Failure to demonstrate X does not necessarily imply that -X is true :)

I just hate BS - and this chart is mostly BS (ie Jobs is as much of a 2nd
generation immigrant as Obama :)

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pcrh
What percent of the US population is 1st or 2nd Gen immigrant? In the Bay
Area, I would guess it is at least 50%.

~~~
dalke
"In 2013, over 40 million foreign-born representing 13% of the population
resided in the United States." \- [http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/brookings-
now/posts/2013/09/w...](http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/brookings-
now/posts/2013/09/what-percentage-us-population-foreign-born) . See also
[https://www.census.gov/newsroom/pdf/cspan_fb_slides.pdf](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/pdf/cspan_fb_slides.pdf)
.

Using that as a baseline (though it has changed over time) means the
probability of having at least one foreign-born parent is 25%.

Of the remaining 75%, the probability that at least one of the grandparents is
foreign born is 42%.

0.25 + 0.75 * 0.42 = 56% chance that someone in the US is a 1st or 2nd
generation immigrant.

Sure enough, "60% of top 25 tech companies founded by 1st and 2nd generation
immigrant" is almost exactly what's expected if a company is founded by a
single person.

BTW, the table contains at least one error. It says that William Hewlett is
not a first or second generation immigrant.

William Redington Hewlett's father was Albion Walter Hewlett.
([http://www.hewlett.org/about-us/hewlett-family-
history/willi...](http://www.hewlett.org/about-us/hewlett-family-
history/william-redington-hewlett) says that William was born in 1913 and the
family moved to California in 1916 so his father could work at Stanford.
[http://medicine.stanford.edu/faculty/hewlett.html](http://medicine.stanford.edu/faculty/hewlett.html)
says "Doctor Albion Walter Hewlett, professor and executive head of the
Department of Medicine from 1916 -1925".)

The 1910 census record says Albion and his wife were born in California.
[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLTH-
RKY](https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLTH-RKY) . It also says Albion
Hewlett's father was born in England.

Therefore, Hewlett is a second generation immigrant.

~~~
pcrh
Awesome, thanks!

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sehr
Incredibly, incredibly misleading title.

