A Washington Post investigation has revealed that Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, may have worked illegally in the United States in 1995 after leaving a graduate program at Stanford University. Musk reportedly abandoned his studies to work on Zip2, his first company, which sold for around $300 million just four years later. This period, however, poses legal complications as foreign students are generally not permitted to drop out of school and engage in business ventures under their student visa terms. Experts, including former U.S. immigration attorney Leon Fresco, emphasized that participating in revenue-generating activities without proper authorization is illegal, regardless of payment status.
Musk has described his shift as a “legal grey area,” although the article pointed out that before the 9/11 attacks in 2001, there were laxer rules around student visas. Although overstaying a student visa is frequent and occasionally disregarded, it is still against U.S. immigration law, according to The Post.
Musk’s prior immigration experience stands in stark contrast to his present political position on the subject, especially his endorsement of Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. Musk frequently discusses immigration concerns on his platform, X, which was formerly known as Twitter. Musk has recently expressed support for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and his adamant opposition to “open borders.”
With almost 10 billion views, immigration and voter fraud have emerged as Musk’s most-discussed subjects on X this election season, according to Bloomberg News, which also highlighted Musk’s growing political interest. Musk apparently instructed engineers to give his posts priority in users’ feeds, demonstrating his control on the network, according to the report.
Musk’s new alliance with anti-immigration measures has generated controversy despite his own immigrant background, particularly given his personal experience navigating U.S. immigration procedures. Ahead of the 2024 election, his influence on social media and in business continues to sway public opinion.
