Apple shouldn't pay if the value isn't there. Clearly Apple can't pay an individual $1 Million or all 12,000 engineers would want an equivalent pay raise. But when the money goes back to a different place, it is a tax, then no one cares except the stock holders. My point is that if Apple has 1,000 immigrant workers, then what is $1B to them? Peanuts. Especially if it means they can turn that $1B investment into lots more money.

There would be absolutely NO problem with sufficient talent in America if the salaries were that high. I used $1 Million because it is close to the average salary of an NFL football player.

Look at how many young people and disadvantaged children aspire to be one of those players. There are only 1,000 NFL player jobs, and they last about 3 years. Children don't understand these numbers. They see it on TV and think the odds are high if they work hard. Yeah. Right.

There are millions of engineering slots in the world. Much higher probability of a high income, and for life, not 3 years.

I don't care where you are in the world, young people want to earn the most money for the least work. In the US, it is not necessary to struggle through a STEM education when the reward is not much different than that obtainable with a less challenging occupation. In poor countries this is not true. So they motivate their children to be doctors, lawyers, or engineers.

It is a different set of values that leads to fewer STEM Americans. Raise the wages substantially, there will be NO problem finding sufficient Americans. It will be the Geeks that attract people of the opposite sex rather than the Jocks.