Skip to content

Tesla CEO Elon Musk defends H-1B visas, says tariffs distort markets

  • Elon Musk said U.S. has been a beneficiary of talent from India.
  • He added the H-1B visa program has been misused by companies.
  • Musk raised concerns over Trump’s policy of tariffs and said it “distort the markets.”
  • Tesla CEO said he tried to dissuade Trump from tariffs but was unsuccessful.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the U.S. has been a beneficiary of talent from India, while adding that the H-1B visa program had been misused by companies.

In a podcast with Indian entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath aired Sunday, Musk said that while some companies had been using the H-1B visa to hire foreign employees at a “fraction of the cost of an American citizen,” his firms recruit to make up for the “scarcity of talented people.”

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/02/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-bats-for-h-1b-visa-says-tariffs-distort-markets-.html