In a recent exclusive report by The Washington Post, it was revealed that billionaire Elon Musk, known for his strong criticism of President Biden’s “open borders” policy, actually worked illegally in the U.S. three decades ago. President Biden echoed this claim during a speech on the 26th.
According to the Post, which cited past business partners, court records, and company documents, Musk entered the U.S. on a student visa in 1995 with the intent to attend Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. However, he never enrolled and instead founded the software company Zip2 with his brother Kimbal Musk, despite lacking legal work authorization at the time.
Musk sold Zip2 in 1999 for roughly $300 million, which paved the way for his future endeavors with Tesla and other companies, propelling him to become the wealthiest individual in the world and one of America’s most successful immigrants.
Legal experts note that Musk’s decision to leave school rendered him ineligible to legally remain in the United States. Leon Fresco, a former attorney in the Justice Department’s immigration litigation section, stated that even without immediate compensation, foreign students cannot drop out to start a business. “If you do anything to promote revenue generation, like coding or trying to sell something, that’s where you run into trouble,” he explained.
Sources from Musk’s former business circle noted that his unfettered management style soon clashed with Zip2’s development plans for a public offering or high-profile merger, which would attract scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The report also revealed that when a venture capital firm invested $3 million in Musk’s company in 1996, the investment agreement stipulated that Musk, Kimbal, and another key colleague had to secure legal work status within 45 days, or the investment could be withdrawn. Derek Proudian, a member of the Zip2 board at the time who later became its CEO, remarked, “Their immigration status did not meet the requirements for legally operating a company in the U.S.” He added that investors were concerned about the potential for deportation of their founders.
Interestingly, The Washington Post noted that Musk has never mentioned his prior illegal work status when recounting his immigration story.
In a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the 26th, President Biden took a jab at Musk, stating, “The world’s richest man turned out to be an illegal immigrant. He came here on a student visa and should have stayed in school, but he didn’t. He broke the law and now has the audacity to criticize so-called illegal immigrants coming here.”
The Post also highlighted that Musk has recently aligned himself with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s narrative, claiming that “open borders” and undocumented immigrants are destroying America, sharing these sentiments with over 200 million followers on X (formerly Twitter).
