Silicon Valley’s Visa Bet on Musk Holds Firm
“The reason I’m in America, along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong, is because of H-1B.”
The first big fight over employment visas ended in victory for Silicon Valley. Ahead of the presidential election, the tech industry knew they faced a renewed risk of visa challenges. Still, many trusted Elon Musk to steer the president in the right direction this time. So far, it seems to be a good bet.
In a recent interview with The New York Post, President-elect Donald Trump voiced strong support for the H-1B visa program, which allows companies to hire highly skilled workers in fields such as technology and engineering.
“I’ve always liked the visas. I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments come amid a fierce intra-MAGA debate over the H-1 B program taking jobs from Americans. Elon Musk has emerged as a staunch defender of high-skilled immigration, describing the program as essential to America’s competitiveness.
In a heated exchange last week, Musk fired back at critics on social media:
“The reason I’m in America, along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong, is because of H-1B.”
Other tech figures, such as venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, have joined Musk in advocating for reforms to sustain the flow of global talent into the U.S.
The H-1B program has long been a cornerstone of Silicon Valley’s success. The program allows U.S. companies to recruit foreign professionals for specialized roles, filling critical gaps in the domestic workforce.
However, there are also critics in the tech world, highlighting that many people on H1-B visas were fired after the pandemic, putting them and their families in a difficult situation.
The program has an annual cap of 65,000 new visas, with an additional 20,000 for applicants with a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. institution. Some categories are approved outside the cap, and many apply for renewals. The by far largest group with H1-B visas comes from India.
Many people from Northern Europe working in Silicon Valley started with an H1-B visa, but this small group is included in the statistics under others.
A large portion of Silicon Valley residents are foreign-born, including successful tech leaders such as Sundar Pichai (Google), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), and Ali Ghodsi (Databricks).
A Look Back: Trump’s First Term
During Trump’s first presidency, his administration tightened restrictions on H-1B visas, resulting in higher rejection rates. While the total number of visas issued did not drop significantly, the increased administrative hurdles strained recruitment efforts for tech companies reliant on foreign talent. Some Silicon Valley leaders feared similar policies could return under a second Trump term, while others bet on Musk to steer the president in the right direction.
This time, it seems like Silicon Valley’s visa bet on Musk holds firm — at least for now.