Elon Musk is one of the biggest anti-immigrant voices in the world right now, and he is no stranger to spreading debunked theories of undocumented voters swaying the US election and growing his influence in the process.
And while the SpaceX CEO may now be strictly against immigration, he himself has a complex history that reveals his own struggles with legal immigration status as he began his career in the United States. According to former associates and legal documents obtained by The Washington Post, Musk worked illegally while launching his first company, Zip2, causing concern among investors about his potential deportation.
Musk’s rise to prominence, fueled by his role in several successful ventures, contrasts sharply with his recent alignment with Republican rhetoric around border security and undocumented immigration. He has often amplified claims about the detrimental effects of “open borders” on the U.S., a narrative he shares with his 200 million followers on X, the platform he acquired and rebranded from Twitter.
What many may not know is that Musk, who moved to California in 1995 to pursue graduate studies at Stanford, never actually enrolled. Instead, he focused on his startup, leaving him without the legal basis to remain in the U.S. Legal experts confirm that foreign students cannot simply drop out to start businesses, regardless of whether they are paid. Musk’s informal work on Zip2 raised red flags, particularly as the company sought to go public.
When Mohr Davidow Ventures invested $3 million in Zip2 in 1996, the funding agreement stipulated that Musk and his co-founders had 45 days to secure legal work status, or the investment would be forfeited. Concerns about Musk’s immigration status were palpable among investors. Derek Proudian, a Zip2 board member at the time, expressed the collective anxiety: “We don’t want our founder being deported.”
During this period, Musk led colleagues to believe he was in the U.S. on a student visa, but he had effectively abandoned his studies. In a candid acknowledgment from 2005, he revealed that he had no legal authorization to be in the U.S. when he founded Zip2. He noted that applying to Stanford was more about securing his status than pursuing a degree.
Legal experts explain that Musk’s departure from Stanford left him in a precarious position. Without enrollment, he would have needed to leave the country, and any work he did would have violated immigration laws. While overstaying a student visa was not uncommon at the time, it remained illegal.
Musk’s early narrative as an immigrant entrepreneur often omits his lack of legal work authorization. He has described his journey in romantic terms, but public statements about his status have been inconsistent. For instance, he once claimed he was in a “gray area” regarding his immigration status, suggesting some ambiguity that does not align with legal definitions.
Despite his background, Musk has positioned himself as an advocate for stringent immigration controls. He has publicly criticized politicians for allegedly “importing voters” and made inaccurate claims about the benefits undocumented immigrants receive.
Musk’s situation was complicated by his dual citizenship, as he held Canadian citizenship through his mother. This allowed him to enter the U.S. on a student visa without needing a visa from the State Department. However, legal pathways for foreign students to work were limited, requiring full-time enrollment in a degree program.
As Musk built his empire, he and his brother Kimbal Musk have acknowledged their early work without authorization. Kimbal has spoken openly about their experiences as illegal immigrants during the dot-com boom, sharing that they often slept in their office and struggled financially. Both brothers were aware of the implications of their immigration status as they accepted funding and sought growth.
Former Zip2 associates recall the nervousness surrounding the brothers’ immigration status, particularly as the company prepared for potential public offering. Legal experts indicate that any revelations of unauthorized work could have jeopardized those plans.
Musk’s eventual acquisition of work visas was facilitated by Mohr Davidow Ventures, but there remain questions about the legality of how he recruited Kimbal to join Zip2, particularly given a federal law that prohibits knowingly hiring individuals without work authorization.
Elon Musk’s early career is marked by contradictions, particularly when juxtaposed with his current anti-immigration rhetoric. While he has benefited from a system that allowed him to navigate immigration challenges, his public stance against undocumented immigrants reveals a disconnect with his own past experiences.