Immigrant founders are the norm in key U.S. AI firms, study finds

An Institute for Progress analysis reveals that over half of the top U.S.-based privately held AI companies have immigrant founders. This finding highlights the significant role immigrants play in the U.S. AI industry amid increasing global competition. The study of Forbes AI 2025 list showed that 60% of these companies were founded or co-founded by immigrants from 25 countries. India and China lead the list of countries of origin for these founders, followed by France. Companies like OpenAI and Databricks also have immigrant co-founders. Experts emphasize the U.S.'s historical reliance on global talent for technological leadership, particularly in AI. Challenges to maintaining this advantage include increased competition from other countries recruiting talent and U.S. immigration barriers. The U.S. needs to balance attracting foreign talent and developing domestic STEM workers. The Trump administration is developing an AI action plan to maintain U.S. dominance in the field. This plan is expected to be released this summer.