89% of AI Researchers Stopped Coming to America

Stanford's 2026 AI Index shows AI talent inflow to the US dropped 89% since 2017 while the US outspends China 23x on AI. The $100K H-1B visa fee, imposed in September 2025, accelerated a collapse that mirrors 1930s Germany's scientific self-amputation. America is substituting capital for talent, and history says that trade always loses.