Tesla CEO Elon Musk has defended the H-1B visa programme, saying that the US economy has benefited immensely from Indian immigrants.

 

 

He made the comments in a podcast conversation with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath. Musk said that America needs high-skill workers from India now more than ever, while also calling out the misuse of the visa system by some outsourcing firms. 

 

 

Musk said America has been an immense beneficiary of talent from India, adding that his companies constantly struggle to fill specialised roles because there’s always a scarcity of talented people. 

 

 

While defending the H-1B programme as a crucial pipeline for global talent, he also acknowledged its vulnerabilities.

 

 

He criticised some of the outsourcing companies for having kind of gamed the system, and urged reforms to stop the gaming of the system rather than shutting the programme down entirely.

 

 

Musk’s comments come at a tense moment for the H-1B programme under President Donald Trump’s second term, which has adopted a stricter regulatory posture while still acknowledging the necessity of skilled foreign workers.

 

 

The H-1B visa, created by the Immigration Act of 1990, allows US employers to hire foreign professionals in speciality occupations.