Elon Musk, a prominent supporter of the H-1B visa program, is leveraging both personal experience and his role as a business leader to advocate for increased access to foreign talent. As Tesla, his electric vehicle company, expands its workforce with skilled international employees, it has climbed to 16th position in the H-1B employer rankings for 2024, according to the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). This marks a significant increase from previous years, as Tesla was not listed among the top 25 employers.
In 2024, Tesla secured 742 initial H-1B petitions, more than double the 328 approved in 2023. Additionally, the company had 1,025 petitions for continuing employment approved this year, highlighting its growing reliance on foreign expertise to fill crucial roles.
Musk's advocacy for the H-1B program is rooted in his own experience, having come to the U.S. on an H-1B visa early in his career. On his social media platform, X, he stated, "I'm in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong because of H-1B." He emphasized the program's importance to the success of his businesses, asserting, "I would go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend."
Tesla's rise in H-1B rankings is part of a broader trend within the technology sector, where major firms have long pushed for an expansion of the visa program, which is currently capped at 65,000 new visas annually and an additional 20,000 for workers with advanced degrees. This program has been essential for companies seeking to hire skilled professionals, particularly from countries like India, China, and the Philippines.
In the fiscal year 2024, Amazon topped the list with 3,871 approved initial employment petitions, followed by Cognizant with 2,837 and Infosys with 2,504. Major technology players such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google also ranked prominently, with Tesla joining their ranks.
Where did it all start?
Leading up to Donald Trump's re-inauguration, there were intense debates within his "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement regarding H-1B visas, which allow skilled foreign workers to work in the U.S. Critics from the far-right argued that these visas take jobs away from American workers and pose a threat to Western civilization.
In contrast, figures like Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy defended the program as essential for attracting skilled talent to address a shortage of engineers in the country.
Despite Trump's supportive stance on H-1B visas, some MAGA supporters targeted tech leaders like Musk and Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy faced backlash for suggesting that America had a culture of mediocrity. This discourse turned negative toward Indian American leaders like Ramaswamy and Shri Thanedar, who became targets of racism, with some calling for them to "go back to India," even invoking the caste system to attack them.