SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said the United States has been an “immense beneficiary” of Indian talent and voiced strong support for the H-1B visa programme, warning that shutting it down would "actually be very bad" for the country.
Musk made the remarks during a conversation with investor-entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath on his podcast ‘People by WTF’, released on Sunday.
"Yes, I think America has benefited immensely from talented Indians who have come to America... America has been an immense beneficiary of talent from India,” Musk said.
Addressing the H-1B visa system, the Tesla CEO acknowledged instances of misuse but emphasised that the programme should continue.
“It would be accurate to say that... some of the outsourcing companies have gamed the system on the H-1B front. And we need to stop the gaming of the system.
"But I'm certainly not in the school of thought that we should shut down the H-1B programme. That's where some on the right are. I think they don't realise that that would actually be very bad,” Musk said.
His comments come amid a major US crackdown on alleged H-1B visa abuse, a programme heavily used by American tech companies to hire foreign professionals. Indian workers, especially in technology and healthcare, account for one of the largest segments of H-1B holders.
In September, US President Donald Trump issued a Proclamation titled ‘Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers’ as part of an effort to reform the H-1B system. The Proclamation introduced a one-time USD 100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, a measure expected to significantly affect Indian applicants.
Asked whether the US “seems to have become anti-immigration to a certain extent”, Musk said opinions differ sharply.
He argued that under the Joe Biden administration, "it was basically a total free-for-all, with like no border controls, which, you know, unless you've got border controls, you're not a country”.
Musk claimed there was "massive" illegal immigration under Biden, creating a negative selection effect.
“If there's a massive financial incentive to come to the US illegally and get all these government benefits, then you necessarily create a diffusion gradient for people to come to the US just as an incentive structure. I think that obviously made no sense,” he said, reiterating the need for strong border controls.
According to Musk, the political left favours open borders regardless of circumstances or "if the person coming in is a criminal", while the right believes American jobs are being taken by high-skilled foreign workers.
“I don't know how real that is. My direct observation is that there's always a scarcity of talented people. So from my standpoint, I'm like, we have a lot of difficulty finding enough talented people to get these difficult tasks done, and so more talented people would be good,” he said.
He added that some companies treat the issue as a cost concern, hiring workers from abroad “for a fraction of the cost of an American citizen”.
However, Musk said his companies prioritise talent above all else.
"We pay way above average, so... that's not my experience, but that's what a lot of people do complain about,” he said.
When asked for advice to young Indian entrepreneurs, Musk said he admired “anyone who wants to build”.
“Aim to make more than you take, be a net contributor to society... If you want to create something valuable... pursue providing useful products and services... then money will come as a natural consequence," he said.
"Are you a value creator? That's what really matters," Musk added.
