The world's largest retailer and an cornerstone of US trade, Walmart will fire around 1,500 employees as part of an internal restructuring effort aimed at reducing costs and optimizing decision making, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The dismissals are expected to affect corporate staff at the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, as well as employees in other offices. Among those affected are roles within the Walmart global technology team, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The announcement has revived the debate on the H1B Visas program, with critics accused of favoring foreign labor at the expense of US workers.
The H1B visa allows foreign professionals to be legally working in the United States, with a significant number of these roles in the technological sector occupied by Indian citizens.
Critics argue that companies exploit the program to replace national employees with cheaper labor, sometimes moving operations on the high seas after attracting temporary visa holders.
On the social media platform X, user Barbara Grant published:
“Oh, guess what? The great layoffs today in Walmart … are from your technology team. You know, the type of American worker that is replaced by H1B.”
Another user added:
“There must be strict rules: citizens do not say goodbye until all visa workers are solved. H1B or any visa was brought to fill the void, not replace Americans.”
The feeling extended beyond social platforms. On thelayoff.com, a user said that entering the David Glass technology center of Walmart “feels like leaving a plane in India,” and added: “They do not even have common respect to speak English while they are in the office.”
However, not everyone agrees with criticism. A commentator retreated:
“Stop hating H1B people: there are no new H1B hiring in Sunnyvale since 2024. The main problem is not H1B, but subcontracting. They are the US companies that subcontract for the cheapest work which is affecting the works, not the owners of visas.”
Another comment voted by vote said:
“There is no reason to resort to racism. If you are looking for someone who holds up, consider Trump: these layoffs are the result of the rates.”
Some even noticed that the H1B Indian workers themselves were among those affected by dismissals.
Although Walmart has not publicly linked dismissals with immigration or subcontracting, controversy reflects the growing anxieties in the United States for job security in technology, global competition and corporate decision making.
The reaction highlights a broader cultural and economic tension that goes far beyond Walmart, raising difficult questions about equity, globalization and who really benefits when companies are restructured.
(MSN)
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