According to a recent report by The Washington Post, Elon Musk briefly worked illegally in the United States after leaving a graduate studies program at Stanford University. This revelation contrasts sharply with the South African billionaire's strong anti-immigration stance, especially as he has publicly supported Donald Trump’s campaign for a second presidential term.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has argued that his transition from student to entrepreneur fell into a "legal grey area." However, legal experts assert that foreign students, like Musk, cannot simply drop out of school to pursue entrepreneurial ventures, regardless of whether they are compensated for their work. The Post noted that this incident occurred in 1995, prior to the stricter regulations on student visas that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
Leon Fresco, a former immigration litigator at the U.S. Justice Department, explained that engaging in any activities related to revenue generation, such as coding or making sales, while on a student visa could lead to legal consequences. The Post also acknowledged that while overstaying a student visa is not uncommon and often overlooked, it remains illegal.
In Musk's own words, he claimed, “I was legally there, but I was meant to be doing student work. I was allowed to do work sort of supporting whatever.”
Currently, Musk employs a vast workforce, including 121,000 at Tesla, around 13,000 at SpaceX, and nearly 3,000 at X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The scrutiny surrounding his immigration status comes at a time when Trump has expressed interest in having Musk play a significant role in a potential second administration, particularly focusing on government efficiency.
Musk has been vocal in his criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party, accusing them of "importing voters" through immigration policies that grant illegal and temporary protected status. During a recent campaign rally, he described the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border as akin to a "zombie apocalypse," despite previously claiming to be "extremely pro-immigrant" as someone who immigrated to the U.S. himself.
Bloomberg News has highlighted Musk's increasingly political engagement on social media, particularly regarding immigration and voter fraud. Analysis of over 53,000 posts from his X account revealed that these topics have become central to his messaging, amassing around 10 billion views. Notably, Musk has posted more than 1,300 times on these issues this year, with over 330 posts in just the last two months.
As the election approaches, Musk's influence on the platform continues to grow, positioning him as a significant voice in the political discourse. Bloomberg labeled him as the most important influencer on X, following his $44 billion acquisition of the platform in 2022, and reported that he has directed engineers to promote his posts more prominently in users’ feeds.
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