‘US has benefitted immensely from Indians’: Musk pushes for skilled immigration, says H-1B abuse fixable
He rejected calls from conservative groups to dismantle the programme altogether: “I’m not in the school of thought that we should shut down the H-1B Program… that would actually be very bad.”
- Nov 30, 2025,
- Updated Nov 30, 2025 10:17 PM IST
Elon Musk has weighed in on America’s immigration debate — especially surrounding high-skilled workers and the H-1B visa — during a new episode of Nikhil Kamath’s WTF podcast released on Sunday. In a wide-ranging conversation, the Tesla and SpaceX chief said the United States has “long benefitted” from talented Indians and warned that dismantling the H-1B system would be “very bad” for the country.
The discussion opened with Kamath noting that for decades the US attracted “really smart people” from across the world, but that the national mood in recent years appeared to have turned “anti-immigration to a certain extent.”
Musk agreed that Indian professionals have been central to America’s technological and economic rise. “America has benefitted immensely from talented Indians that have come to America,” he said.
On H-1B misuse
Pressed on the political debate around work visas, Musk acknowledged that the H-1B regime had been misused by some companies. “I think there's been some misuse of the H-1B Program… some outsourcing companies have kind of gamed the system,” he said.
However, he rejected calls from conservative groups to dismantle the programme altogether: “I’m not in the school of thought that we should shut down the H-1B Program… that would actually be very bad.”
The comments come amid a sweeping immigration crackdown under US President Donald Trump and the rollout of new H-1B rules. In October, Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications — framed as a move to encourage companies to hire Americans first, but widely criticised across the tech and services industry.
Musk argued that instead of restricting high-skilled immigration, the US should focus on curbing abuses. “The solution is to stop the gaming of the system, not scrap it,” he said.
‘No country without borders’
Musk also revisited his long-standing criticism of border management, taking aim at the previous Joe Biden administration. He claimed Biden’s policies had amounted to “a total free-for-all with no border controls,” insisting that effective borders were essential for national integrity.
“Unless you’ve got border controls, you’re not a country,” he said.
At the same time, the billionaire stressed that America’s tech sector continues to face a genuine talent gap. “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, underscoring the importance of retaining channels for high-skilled immigration.
Elon Musk has weighed in on America’s immigration debate — especially surrounding high-skilled workers and the H-1B visa — during a new episode of Nikhil Kamath’s WTF podcast released on Sunday. In a wide-ranging conversation, the Tesla and SpaceX chief said the United States has “long benefitted” from talented Indians and warned that dismantling the H-1B system would be “very bad” for the country.
The discussion opened with Kamath noting that for decades the US attracted “really smart people” from across the world, but that the national mood in recent years appeared to have turned “anti-immigration to a certain extent.”
Musk agreed that Indian professionals have been central to America’s technological and economic rise. “America has benefitted immensely from talented Indians that have come to America,” he said.
On H-1B misuse
Pressed on the political debate around work visas, Musk acknowledged that the H-1B regime had been misused by some companies. “I think there's been some misuse of the H-1B Program… some outsourcing companies have kind of gamed the system,” he said.
However, he rejected calls from conservative groups to dismantle the programme altogether: “I’m not in the school of thought that we should shut down the H-1B Program… that would actually be very bad.”
The comments come amid a sweeping immigration crackdown under US President Donald Trump and the rollout of new H-1B rules. In October, Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications — framed as a move to encourage companies to hire Americans first, but widely criticised across the tech and services industry.
Musk argued that instead of restricting high-skilled immigration, the US should focus on curbing abuses. “The solution is to stop the gaming of the system, not scrap it,” he said.
‘No country without borders’
Musk also revisited his long-standing criticism of border management, taking aim at the previous Joe Biden administration. He claimed Biden’s policies had amounted to “a total free-for-all with no border controls,” insisting that effective borders were essential for national integrity.
“Unless you’ve got border controls, you’re not a country,” he said.
At the same time, the billionaire stressed that America’s tech sector continues to face a genuine talent gap. “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, underscoring the importance of retaining channels for high-skilled immigration.