US benefited from talented Indians immensely: Musk on H-1B visa row, immigration

New Delhi,UPDATED: Nov 30, 2025 20:37 IST

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, said that the US has benefitted immensely by hiring talented Indians over the years, as he finally appeared on Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s People by WTF podcast on Sunday after days of speculation. During a lengthy conversation, the SpaceX and Tesla chief also noted that some of the country’s anti-immigration sentiment stems from past abuses of the H-1B visa program and what he described as an overly lenient approach under earlier administrations.

He made the remarks at a time when the long-cherished American dream—promising top-tier education, high-paying jobs, improved living standards, and upward mobility—is increasingly fading for thousands of Indians due to tightening US visa norms and unpredictable policy shifts.

"I think America has benefited immensely from talented Indians that have come to America," Musk asserted. "That seems to be changing now though," Kamath cut the billionaire short in an apparent reference to the H-1B visa rules recently curtailed by the Trump administration, as the two erupted in laughter.

Days after Donald Trump backed the H-1B visa programme, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene announced a bill to phase it out, claiming it replaces American workers. Such moves threaten Indian professionals, the primary beneficiaries of H-1B visas, which often serve as a pathway to US citizenship through Green Cards.

"Under the Biden administration, it was basically a total free-for-all with no border controls. You know, unless you've got border controls, you're not a country. So, you had massive amounts of illegal immigration under Biden. It actually had somewhat of a negative selection effect," Musk, who headed the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said.

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