Amid the H1-B row which was basically MAGA infighting with one section pushing for the extension of H-1b and the other opposing it, a post of Elon Musk came under scrutiny as many X users claimed that Elon Musk lied in that post.
Elon Musk backed the idea of removing country caps on H-1B and faced major opposition from America First activists. Amid the fiery exchanges, Elon Musk said the reason he’s in America along with many other people who are critical for SpaceX and Tesla is H-1B. It was the same message in which Elon Musk announced war on the issue and asked everyone to take a step back.
“The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Elon wrote. “Take a big step back and F**K YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot comprehend,” Elon added.
‘You did not come to US on H-1B’
To Elon Musk’s claim, social media users said Elon Musk lied when he said he came to the United States on an H-1B as he came to the US on a student visa.
“Elon Musk didn’t come to the U.S. on an H1B. He came illegally, scamming his way in on a student visa (F1) he never used, then violated its terms to work. His constant lies about his origin story aren’t just to lecture folks—they’re to protect himself from deportation and avoid the massive fines and asset seizures that could follow an investigation into his immigration fraud,” one user wrote.
Many X users pointed out that he dropped out of college and then overstayed his student visa and started working when he did not have an H-1B. He became a citizen in 2002 and then in 2004 joined Tesla.
“Elon Musk didn’t build his empire on an H1B visa. He slipped into the U.S. on a student visa he never intended to use, violating its terms to work and establish his foothold. His revisionist tale of humble beginnings isn’t just about shaping his image—it’s a calculated effort to dodge scrutiny, avoid deportation, and sidestep the financial and legal fallout of his immigration violations,” another pointed out.
However, Elon Musk supporters said Musk did not claim that he came to the US on an H-1B visa; he just said that immigrants like him are in the country because of the H-1B visa program. This visa program allows companies to hire skilled foreigners. Sriram Krishnan who will be Donald Trump’s AI adviser earlier said he wants the country caps on H-1B visas to be removed. This became a flashpoint in MAGA with Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy backing H-1B extension and old Republicans opposing it. But after Donald Trump backed Elon Musk and said he favours H-1B visa, the controversy died down.
