Danny Lewis

Here's your afternoon TNB Tech Minute for Friday, March 27th.

I'm Danny Lewis for The Wall Street Journal.

In its latest move to discourage companies from hiring foreign workers instead of Americans, the Trump administration plans to require that companies pay higher wages for people who come to the U.S.

on visas for high-skilled employees, a popular tool for tech companies.

A new rule proposed by the Labor Department this week would lift the minimum pay for software developers and other workers who come to the U.S.

on some visas, including the H-1B program.

Pay floors could rise as high as 33 percent, according to the Labor Department's proposal.

Tech companies have long used H-1B visas to hire foreign nationals, a tool they say is needed to offset worker shortages for high-skilled professionals.

Novartis says it agreed to purchase biotech firm Accelergy for up to $2 billion.

The deal would add a new approach to treating allergic diseases to the Swiss pharmaceutical company's immunology pipeline, including a drug candidate in early-stage trials.

Accelergy also recently launched a new drug called Rapsido for chronic hives with no known trigger.

It's the latest in a series of acquisitions by Novartis in recent months, as the company turns to dealmaking to fill its drug pipeline and offset patent expirations.

And in stock markets today, gaming software company Unity raised its first quarter revenue guidance and said it would exit the non-strategic advertising business and divest from its game publishing business, Supersonic.

Shares were up about 13.5% this afternoon.

And shares in Lumentum Holdings rose 2% this afternoon after the laser maker said it would establish a new manufacturing plant in North Carolina.

The facility will produce advanced indium phosphide-based optical devices, which serve as critical components in AI data centers.

And that's a wrap on your TNB Tech Minutes.

For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out our Tech News Briefing podcast on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Here's your morning TNB Tech Minute for Friday, March 27th.

I'm Danny Lewis for The Wall Street Journal.