I think it’s time we tell the truth.
When I joined the workforce in 2002, many of my engineering leads and managers were working from the US, while I was working from Bangalore.
One thing I noticed very early was the difference in work culture.
Indians are, by nature, extremely work-oriented. We don’t like leaving things unfinished. I remember hearing complaints from Indian colleagues about our US counterparts: “These people are privileged. They shut their computers at exactly 4:30 PM.”
Even during a major P1 production issue, you could sometimes see the US team log off when their working hours were over. Meanwhile, the people still in the office were predominantly Indians—working until 10 or 11 PM, handing things over to the offshore team, and then finally going home to their families.
It was a complaint. But, in a strange way, it was also an appreciation of our own work ethic.
Yes, many people in the US have historically enjoyed a level of work-life balance that many Indians did not. They could shut their laptops at 4:30 PM and walk away. We often felt that we couldn't.
But our mentality was different:
“We are getting paid. We have a responsibility. We need to solve the problem. We don't want the company to get a bad name.”
And then we went home.
Our families mattered enormously to us. But we also believed that our ability to provide for our families came from having a job in the first place. We were grateful for that opportunity, and we took that responsibility seriously.
That mentality helped many of us build careers across companies and industries.
We weren't slaves to anyone. We were people who understood the value of an opportunity—and were willing to work extraordinarily hard to make the most of it.
And here is where I think the H-1B debate gets uncomfortable.
For years, everyone benefited from this system.
You valued your freedom.
You valued your work-life balance.
You valued your paycheck.
And we valued our families too.
But for many of us, loving our families meant something different.
We were willing to live thousands of miles away from them, work long hours, sacrifice weekends, and endure years of uncertainty because the ultimate goal was simple:
Make sure our families are taken care of.
That's the difference.
So before blaming Indians or H-1B workers for being willing to work hard, perhaps we should acknowledge the other side of the story.
People didn't come here because they wanted to take something away from someone else.
Many came because they were willing to make sacrifices that others simply weren't willing to make.
And that work ethic didn't suddenly become a problem when the people doing it happened to be Indian.