‘America has benefited immensely from Indian talent.’ This is to say that of Elon Musk, owner of companies like Tesla, SpaceX and XAI. Musk had joined Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamat’s podcast ‘People by WTF’, the episode of which aired on Sunday. During this, Musk said that Indian engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs have played an important role in America’s technology and business growth.
In this podcast, Kamat said that America has always been attracting the ‘smartest people’ from around the world, due to which it is also called ‘brain drain’ in India. He also mentioned that today there are people of Indian origin in the top positions of many big companies of the world. Agreeing to this, Musk said, ‘America has benefited a lot from the talented Indians who have come here.’
Are Indians taking away Americans’ jobs?
Musk also said that the perception in America that foreigners are snatching away the jobs of American citizens is wrong. Musk said, ‘In my experience there is always a shortage of talented people. Finding enough talented people to do difficult jobs is challenging. In such a situation, more talent should be welcomed. He said that his companies focus on ‘bringing together the most talented people in the world’.
What did Musk say on H-1B visa?
Elon Musk also commented on the H-1B visa program. He admitted that some outsourcing companies have misused this program. He said, ‘Some companies have tried to game the H-1B system. It is necessary to stop this.
However, Musk rejected the demand to close the H-1B program. He said, ‘I do not at all agree with the idea that the H-1B program should be closed. It would be very bad to do so.
The H-1B visa has for decades been a path toward high-paying jobs and permanent residency in the US for young engineers and professionals from India, China and other countries. India is the biggest beneficiary of this visa.
These comments of Musk have come at a time when uncertainty regarding visa policy has increased in America. President Trump had recently announced to increase the new H-1B application fee to $ 100,000 (about Rs 89 lakh).
However, Trump later said that he would welcome ‘highly skilled’ people to America… especially those who are capable of developing complex technologies like microchips and missiles. Trump also said that America is lacking certain types of talent, which needs to be brought from around the world.
What did Musk say on illegal infiltration?
In this podcast, Musk also talked about border control policies. He accused the Biden administration that border control had ‘almost ended’ during his tenure. He said, ‘During the Biden administration it was almost like a free-for-all. If you don’t have border control, how can you be called a country?’
According to Musk, this increased illegal immigration and created conditions that created an incentive structure for the wrong kind of people to come. He said, ‘If those coming illegally continue to get economic benefits and government facilities, then it is natural that people will try to come here. Therefore, clear and strict border control is necessary.
