America is a meritocracy: Elon Musk reiterates stand on H-1B visa debate

Billionaire Elon Musk is using his social media platform X to emphasise his support for meritocracy in the US, amid a heated debate around H-1B visa.

“We need to make sure that you get ahead purely as a function of your talent and hard work. Nothing else,” Musk posted on X.

He reiterated the same in another post which read, "Excellent, America should be a meritocracy."


"Anyone – of any race, creed or nationality – who came to America and worked like hell to contribute to this country will forever have my respect," he said in another repost.



The upcoming second Donald Trump presidency has ignited a heated national debate in the US, focusing on immigration policies and their impact on jobs. Sparked by the appointment of Sriram Krishnan as the government's advisor on artificial intelligence, at the centre of this discussion is the H-1B visa.

Also Read: Why Trump's AI advisor pick Sriram Krishnan is facing backlash from far-right activists

Musk has said that the views of those opposing Krishnan's stand on immigration have a "fixed pie" fallacy, calling it "wrong-headed" economic thinking.

However, he has also lambasted the visa system. "I’ve been very clear that the program is broken and needs major reform," he said in a post. "Easily fixed by raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H1B, making it materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically."


At the same time, Musk has highlighted the H-1B visa's role in attracting exceptional talent to the US. He argued that foreign workers, including those on H-1B visas, have contributed significantly to America's strength and innovation.

Over the weekend, president-elect Trump clarified his stance on the visa which allows the hiring of non-Americans for specialised jobs, when he backed Musk.

Trump voiced his support for immigration visas for high-skilled workers, speaking to the New York Post following the controversy. “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favour of the visas. That’s why we have them,” he said, referring to the H-1B programme. “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 programme.”