[UncleMeat]

I'm a hiring manager at a FAANG company and exclusively hire PhDs. The very first question that I try to answer when looking at a candidate who can't get OPT is "can this person feasible get an O-1". Then I bring a resume to the lawyers. I have a lot of experience evaluating whether somebody can feasibly get an O-1.

Just having a publication record is not enough. It needs to be a strong record and you need to have strong ties to the academic community through things like program committees. I've sadly had to turn down a lot of people who would easily improve the country by working here because their publication record isn't enough to get an O-1 visa.

I know faculty at MIT who aren't on O-1s.

It's not easy.

[dilyevsky]

I know three people who got it and one of them I wrote reference for. If my recommendation (among other things ofc) is sufficient I assume it’s not impossible =) Also you need good lawyer as with many such things

[UncleMeat]

It is certainly possible. The point is that it isn’t easy. “This person has published novel research in a top conference and has a PhD from an internationally recognized university” is not a guarantee.

[dilyevsky]

Again neither had been accepted at top conferences. I think one had phd in unrelated field

[mav3rick]

"I know some cases that worked...so all must be easy"