Vivek Ramaswamy's Read On American 'Mediocrity' Sparks Conservative Immigration Skirmish

Ramaswamy started a fierce debate after arguing American parents put more importance on "the jock over the valedictorian."

Vivek Ramaswamy got quite a strong reaction from conservatives when he tried to explain hiring trends across the tech sector in a culturally-charged social media post on Thursday.

In an extended post shared on X, the tech entrepreneur wrote about how “top companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over ‘native’ Americans,” claiming the imbalance “isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation)” but rather because of differences on the societal level.

“A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture,” Ramaswamy continued, before telling readers, “Tough questions demand tough answers & if we’re really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH.”

The CEO-turned-politician’s assessment? That “American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.”

Ramaswamy suggested that entertainment has had an outsized impact on shaping mainstream American values “at least since the 90s and likely longer.”