I thought from the first paragraph the article was going to talk about how H1-Bs can start their own company but really it was about how startups can hire H1-Bs. Well, I'm already in that situation so it's not of much use to me.
I think most H1-Bs think that they have to stick with the same company for years until their green cards get approved. Well, that's not really true. It didn't seem too risky to transfer my H1-B to my second company when I had to. And when I needed to move to my current company, I could even transfer my green card application because the AC21 rules state that if my I-485 has been in processed for 6 months (or something like that), I could transfer that too. What all this means is that I don't think H1-Bs are beholden to the companies they are currently at. They can switch if their new companies are willing to process the legal documents for them. And even if they can't pay the fees, it shouldn't amount to too much (~$1k).
I too am on an H1-B, and as far as I know, what you say is true. Once your I-485 has been approved for a period of 6 months or longer, you can move companies, though from what I hear, it raises a few questions when it comes for the INS to finally approve your petition.
I think most H1-Bs think that they have to stick with the same company for years until their green cards get approved. Well, that's not really true. It didn't seem too risky to transfer my H1-B to my second company when I had to. And when I needed to move to my current company, I could even transfer my green card application because the AC21 rules state that if my I-485 has been in processed for 6 months (or something like that), I could transfer that too. What all this means is that I don't think H1-Bs are beholden to the companies they are currently at. They can switch if their new companies are willing to process the legal documents for them. And even if they can't pay the fees, it shouldn't amount to too much (~$1k).