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Immigrant, Inc.: Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy
A provocative look at the remarkable contributions of high-skill immigrant entrepreneurs in America Both a revelation and a call-to-action, Immigrant, Inc . explores the uncommon skill and drive of America's new immigrants and their knack for innovation and entrepreneurship. From the techies who created icons of the new economy-Intel, Google, eBay and Sun Microsystems-to the young engineers tinkering with solar power and next-generation car batteries, immigrants have proven themselves to be America's competitive advantage. With a focus on legal immigrants and their odyssey from homeland to start-up, this unique book
Whether you are a CEO, a civic leader, or an entrepreneur yourself, Immigrant, Inc. warns of the peril of anti-immigrant attitudes and a hostile immigration process. It also explains how any American can tap their "inner immigrant" to transform their lives and their companies. Written by an immigration lawyer who represents immigrant entrepreneurs and a journalist who specializes in international culture, the authors have a front-row seat to this phenomenon, offering a fascinating glimpse into the mindset of the most persistent entrepreneurs of the era.
Whether you are a CEO, a civic leader, or an entrepreneur yourself, Immigrant, Inc. warns of the peril of anti-immigrant attitudes and a hostile immigration process. It also explains how any American can tap their "inner immigrant" to transform their lives and their companies. Written by an immigration lawyer who represents immigrant entrepreneurs and a journalist who specializes in international culture, the authors have a front-row seat to this phenomenon, offering a fascinating glimpse into the mindset of the most persistent entrepreneurs of the era.
- GenresBusiness
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 29, 2020
This is just the generic “immigrants are good for the nation because high skill immigrants are good for the economy”. This has been better presented in other books, and also is only one piece of the immigration story (both pro and con).
March 1, 2025
As an immigrant myself, this is a well-researched work packed with positivity and wisdom. It depicts many immigrants’ successful business ventures after moving to the US and how entrepreneurship is profoundly rooted in immigrants.
February 20, 2024
Interesting perspectives. I cannot claim to agree with everything stated in the book, but I think the authos delivers his ideas greatly and definitely provokes some second guessing.
July 26, 2016
An eye-opening book. Written five years ago, some of the facts and arguments seemed slightly dated. Since the book published, for example, the US conducted its 2010 census, which seems like a cornucopia of data for this discussion.
This book describes the new immigrants, those who came here after 1965, when immigrant restrictions eased. In particular, the book discusses immigrant entrepreneurs, those who come here to a land of opportunity.
Three stages for the entrepreneurial immigrant: Survival of the immigration experience, which includes leaving family and a familiar homeland for a foreign land and culture; climbing through education, networking and early jobs; thriving after achieving a success here unattainable in the homeland.
The greatest gift that these new immigrants bring, say the authors, is a value system that worked for our own immigrant great-grandparents. The universal traits of immigrant entrepreneurs: wide travel and high education.
The first part of the book includes many success stories of immigrant-born founders, including Andy Grove of Intel, Jerry Yang of Yahoo and Sergey Brin of Google. After the anecdote-laden first two-thirds of the book, it picked up steam in a chapter about immigrants in the cities. Philadelphia's new mayor of 2008 led the city to become immigrant-friendly.
But for all of these successes, the author's constantly bemoan the real crisis: The out-of-date immigration system that keeps out the world's brightest and most talented people who become frustrated by the process. Instead, the spotlight of our national discussion falls on illegal immigrants. The illegals dominate the debate, although legal immigrants make up the biggest share of the foreign-born. That queue includes artists, musicians, engineers and investors.
Half joking, one source suggested that the United States should staple a green card to the diploma of every immigrant graduating with a degree in math, science or engineering, rather than seeing them go home after school.
Pairs well with Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, which discusses at length the smart immigrants who come from cultures that value education higher than the American gregarious back-slapping sports culture.
This is a quick non-academic book written by a journalist. No notes or sources other than what's in the text. Graphics in the appendix could use keys in the text so that we could study them while reading the supported points. The book's web site went dormant. Three and a half stars.
This book describes the new immigrants, those who came here after 1965, when immigrant restrictions eased. In particular, the book discusses immigrant entrepreneurs, those who come here to a land of opportunity.
Three stages for the entrepreneurial immigrant: Survival of the immigration experience, which includes leaving family and a familiar homeland for a foreign land and culture; climbing through education, networking and early jobs; thriving after achieving a success here unattainable in the homeland.
The greatest gift that these new immigrants bring, say the authors, is a value system that worked for our own immigrant great-grandparents. The universal traits of immigrant entrepreneurs: wide travel and high education.
The first part of the book includes many success stories of immigrant-born founders, including Andy Grove of Intel, Jerry Yang of Yahoo and Sergey Brin of Google. After the anecdote-laden first two-thirds of the book, it picked up steam in a chapter about immigrants in the cities. Philadelphia's new mayor of 2008 led the city to become immigrant-friendly.
But for all of these successes, the author's constantly bemoan the real crisis: The out-of-date immigration system that keeps out the world's brightest and most talented people who become frustrated by the process. Instead, the spotlight of our national discussion falls on illegal immigrants. The illegals dominate the debate, although legal immigrants make up the biggest share of the foreign-born. That queue includes artists, musicians, engineers and investors.
Half joking, one source suggested that the United States should staple a green card to the diploma of every immigrant graduating with a degree in math, science or engineering, rather than seeing them go home after school.
Pairs well with Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, which discusses at length the smart immigrants who come from cultures that value education higher than the American gregarious back-slapping sports culture.
This is a quick non-academic book written by a journalist. No notes or sources other than what's in the text. Graphics in the appendix could use keys in the text so that we could study them while reading the supported points. The book's web site went dormant. Three and a half stars.
August 27, 2014
If I had read this in 2009, not 2014, I might have liked it more. Instead it seems like a brief argument (and one I 100% agree with) drawn out by using countless individual stories.
The more familiar you are with the topic, the less I suspect you'll get out of the book.
The more familiar you are with the topic, the less I suspect you'll get out of the book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews