Washington Post contrasts the episode with the South African multibillionaire’s anti-immigration views

Washington Post contrasts the episode with the South African multibillionaire’s anti-immigration views

Elon Musk briefly worked illegally in the US after abandoning a graduate studies program in California, according to a Washington Post report that contrasted the episode with the South African multibillionaire’s anti-immigration views.

The boss of Tesla and SpaceX, who has in recent weeks supported Donald Trump’s campaign for a second presidency while promoting the Republican White House nominee’s opposition to “open borders” on his X social media site, has previously maintained that his transition from student to entrepreneur was a “legal grey area”.

But the Washington Post reported Saturday that the world’s wealthiest individual was almost certainly working in the US without correct authorization for a period in 1995 after he dropped out of Stanford University to work on his debut company, Zip2, which sold for about $300m four years later.

  • rand_alpha19@moist.catsweat.com
    214·
    5 days ago

    I’d wager that many tens of thousands of people are also in this situation. For example, Kim Petras (German pop artist) also stayed illegally in the US after one of her visas expired. I dislike Musk, but I don’t really know if this headline is actually worth giving a shit about. Then again, I am not American. Thoughts?

    • Chozo@fedia.io
      22·
      5 days ago

      I believe that expired visas are still the most common cause of illegal immigration in the US. Most immigrants end up getting here completely legally, and for one reason or another some will stay past their visa expiration (often due to the renewal process getting hung up in the system for extended periods).

      However, it’s newsworthy because of Musk’s rampant anti-immigration rhetoric, even though he knowingly lived and worked in the US illegally, himself. He doesn’t mind breaking the rules and profiting from it, but wants to stop anybody else from following him.

      • rand_alpha19@moist.catsweat.com
        5·
        5 days ago

        At this point, anyone who doesn’t think Elon Musk is a hypocrite will never change their mind. But if you guys like these types of stories, keep reading them. I just think he’s already proven who he is.

    • dan@upvote.au
      8·
      5 days ago

      illegally in the US after one of her visas expired.

      Just to clarify: A visa just determines the time period when you can enter the USA. How long you can stay in the USA is determined by the I-94 (a form that’s issued upon arrival), not the visa.

      It’s possible for the I-94 expiration date to be later than the visa expiration date, which means you can still stay in the USA after the visa expires (until the I-94 expires), but you just won’t be able to leave and re-enter without renewing the visa.

      • rand_alpha19@moist.catsweat.com
        4·
        5 days ago

        Ah, thanks for the info. In this case specifically she did say she was no longer allowed to remain in the US and continued to do so despite that, so I feel safe in assuming that the I-94 expiration date had passed.

        • dan@upvote.au
          9·
          5 days ago

          Yeah, definitely. I just wanted to clarify since it’s a common point of confusion even for people that are currently on visas. My wife and I got a green card a few years ago so I’m glad I don’t have to deal with visas any more.