Ask HN: Is it hard to get hired on F1 OPT?

I'm a recent graduate in math (BS) and am working full time as a statistician at a university lab. I am on an F1 visa and have the option of getting an OPT STEM extension so I can work for 3 years total. I love my current job but I want to transition to industry and have a higher pay than what a university can offer. How hard is it to get hired at a startup/company to do stats/data science/machine learning while on F1?

Are people at all interested in hiring someone who only has 3 years of legal presence guaranteed?

How common is it for startups/companies to hire a person on OPT with the goal of sponsoring an H1B later?

Would be grateful to hear HNers' takes on this topic. See my profile if you'd like to email me.