Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, recently spoke about the benefits the United States has gained by hiring talented individuals from India over the years. His remarks come during an ongoing debate about the H-1B visa program and U.S. immigration policies.
In a podcast hosted by Nikhil Kamath, Musk acknowledged that while the H-1B program has been misused at times—particularly by some outsourcing companies—he does not support shutting it down. Instead, he emphasized the need to prevent the exploitation of the system.
“There’s definitely been some misuse, but I don’t believe it’s a reason to close the program entirely,” Musk said. “We should fix the system rather than eliminate it.”
Musk also responded to concerns that the H-1B visa may take away jobs from American workers. He expressed doubt about that idea, stating that there is a consistent shortage of skilled professionals in the U.S. and attracting the most talented individuals globally is beneficial.
“From my experience, talented people are always in short supply. More skilled talent means a greater ability to solve complex problems,” he added.
The H-1B visa program started in 1990 under President George H.W. Bush and has significantly helped professionals, especially from India and China, to work in the U.S. Recent changes, including a proposed increase in visa fees announced by the Trump administration, have raised concerns among applicants.
