The tech billionaire has warned he is ready “to go to war” over work permits for skilled foreign employees
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has lashed out at opponents of the H-1B visa program that allows US firms to hire qualified tech workers from abroad. The billionaire promised to give the critics, many of whom voted for US President-elect Donald Trump, a fight they “cannot possibly comprehend.”
The heated online debate on the issue started earlier this week after Musk urged an increase in the number of foreign workers recruited through H-1B visas so the US can “keep winning.” His call was supported by another entrepreneur, Vivek Ramaswamy. Both billionaires have been tapped by Trump to head DOGE, a special advisory body tasked with identifying government inefficiency.
However, many users rejected the idea, arguing that the program has been misused by US corporations to replace domestic talent with with lower-paid, entry-level guest workers from India and other nations.
“Take a big step back and f**k yourself in the face,” Musk wrote in one of his many posts on the matter on his X platform on Saturday. The line appears to be a slightly altered quote from Les Grossman, a fictional movie producer played by Tom Cruise in the 2008 movie “Tropic Thunder”.
The tech billionaire warned critics that he “will go to war” over the H-1B visa program “the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”
“The reason I am in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H-1B,” he wrote.
In another post, Musk said that “anyone – of any race, creed or nationality – who came to America and worked like hell to contribute to this country will forever have my respect.”
Trump, who had previously criticized H-1B visas and implemented measures during his first term to restrict their use in an effort to protect American jobs, clarified to the New York Post on Saturday that he now supports Musk’s stance.
“I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I have been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It is a great program,” the president-elect insisted.
Musk is a naturalized US citizen born in South Africa and a former holder of an H-1B work permit. His electric-car company Tesla obtained 724 such visas for its staff in 2024.
