Elon Musk, known for being a significant donor and campaign surrogate for Donald Trump, began his entrepreneurial journey in the U.S. while working illegally. After leaving a graduate program at Stanford, he focused on launching Zip2, a company that sold for around $300 million in 1999, paving the way for his subsequent ventures.
According to the Washington Post, despite Musk’s recent claims that “open borders” and undocumented immigrants threaten America, he has not disclosed his own lack of legal work status during this pivotal time. His visa issues began when he dropped out of Stanford, rendering him ineligible to work legally, as foreign students cannot simply abandon their studies to pursue business opportunities.
Derek Proudian, a former Zip2 board member, noted the venture capital firm Mohr Davidow Ventures had insisted Musk and his brother, Kimbal, secure legal work status within 45 days of their investment. “Their immigration status was not what it should be for them to be legally employed running a company in the US,” Proudian said.
In public narratives, Musk has described his immigrant experience as one of ambition and austerity, but he has downplayed the legal challenges he faced. In a 2005 email, Musk acknowledged lacking authorization to be in the US when he founded Zip2, stating, “I didn’t really care much for the degree, but I had no money for a lab and no legal right to stay in the country.”
As Musk’s public persona has increasingly embraced anti-immigrant rhetoric, the revelation of his past complicates his stance. Legal experts point out that he would have needed work authorization, which he did not obtain until 1997. Kimbal Musk has openly discussed their illegal status, recalling how they worked without permission during the early days of their startup.
These insights highlight a significant contradiction in Musk’s current political rhetoric versus his past actions, raising questions about his authenticity as he continues to engage in the immigration debate in the U.S.
