*Elon Musk voiced concerns over the flaws in the H1-B visa program after previously expressing support for granting visas to foreign tech workers.
The H1-B visa program, designed to bring foreign workers to the U.S., was described by Musk as “broken” in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter). The New York Post reports that he proposed reforms such as raising the minimum wage requirement for visa holders and introducing an annual fee for employers using the program. Musk argued these changes would make hiring foreign workers more expensive than recruiting domestically, thereby discouraging misuse.
“Easily fixed by raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H1B, making it materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically,” Musk wrote on X Saturday.
“I’ve been very clear that the program is broken and needs major reform,” he added. “I’m confident that the changes made in the @realDonaldTrump administration will make America much stronger.”
Amid the raging backlash to his stance on importing migrants to replace American workers, Musk wrote Sunday that X users should “please post a bit more positive, beautiful or informative content on this platform.”
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Please post a bit more positive, beautiful or informative content on this platform
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 29, 2024
As we reported earlier, Musk argued that the current talent shortage in Silicon Valley is a critical barrier to American innovation and competitiveness. His comments highlight an emerging ideological schism within Trump’s political base, particularly regarding immigration policy.
In a tweet that has since circulated widely, Musk cited the “fundamental limiting factor” of a shortage of top engineering talent in America, emphasizing the necessity of immigrant workers to bridge this gap.
“If you force the world’s best talent to play for the other side, America will LOSE. End of story,” Musk asserted in response to the criticism he received. He maintained that many of his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, rely on skilled foreign-born engineers to thrive in a competitive global landscape.
Musk’s observation of the state of U.S. engineering talent triggered outrage from the Trump base.
“There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” Musk wrote on Wednesday on X. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.”
The “number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low,” he later added. “Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win.”
Meanwhile, President-elect Trump said he also backs the H-B1 visa program, telling The Post that, “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Vivek Ramaswamy Blames ’90s Sitcoms for Tech Firms Hiring Indian Immigrants Over White Men
