It was supposed to be for hiring wernher von braun type world leading experts in their field.
It was never supposed to be for hiring a bunch of code plumbers, which is what 99.9% of this industry consists of.
You’re probably thinking of the O-1 Visa, though that was also created in the ‘90’s.
[https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary...]