There is a raging, intense debate on X after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy advocated for the US to increase legal immigration, specifically for elite engineering talent. They insisted they saw a dire shortage of skills necessary for American technological advancement.
Many became very concerned because mediocre H1-B visa holders are displacing American workers since they are cheap labor, not necessarily desirable. H1-B was meant for talented, well-educated, exceptional people, but it’s not how it is used.
Vivek and Elon are in the crosshairs of MAGA.
Elon Musk Clarifies
Elon Musk wrote a clarification, which you can see below. He said, “I am referring to bringing in, via legal immigration, the top 0.1% of engineering talent as being essential for America to keep winning. This is like bringing in the Jokics or Wembys of the world to help your whole team, which is mostly Americans, win the NBA, thinking of America as a pro sports team that has been winning for a long time and wants to keep winning is the right mental construct.
However, many high-level workers in America have been laid off at Musk’s companies. Perhaps what he’s saying is he wants to bring in the geniuses no matter what country they come from. It is what H1-B was supposed to be and is not.
The Misused H1-B Visa Program
There is a massive misunderstanding about H1-B visas, and the people coming in on them are not elite — 1% of them being engineers and programmers. They are often mediocre or run-of-the-mill. They’re being brought in for cheap labor and not elite talent. That’s not every single one, but it sure is many of them.
I’ve had experience with that. So have others posting on X who say they had to train mediocre replacements to take their jobs. They were too often low quality and not too bright.
Vivek and Elon say they are not trying to replace American workers. Ramaswamy has said that the H1-B visa program is broken and should be replaced.
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Ramaswamy didn’t phrase it well originally so what does he mean, really?
Bonchie Called It Nonsense
A frequent X poster and a writer for outlets like Red State took exception to the way Ramaswamy phrased it. Ramaswamy criticized American culture. Bonchie called it “nonsense.”
“America’s always celebrated the jock over the valedictorian and promoted the Zack and Slaters of society. Yet we built the bomb, went to the moon, and made the most advanced society in history,” Bonchie said.
Tech companies want cheap labor. It’s not about talent. Of course, that’s true.
He added, “Imagine thinking the 1930s to the 1970s were some wholesome time where society venerated being the math club champion and not smoking a pack a day while being as cool as humanly possible.”
MAGA Wants a Moratorium on H1-B visas
People on X want a moratorium on H1-B visas. Trump’s senior policy advisor for AI, Sriram Krishnan, an immigrant, wants to remove country cap limits on H1-B visas. Some believe he only wants Indians.
Ann Coulter Weighs In
“American workers can leave a company. Imported H1B workers can’t [easily do it]. Tech wants indentured servants, not “high-skilled” workers.”
We can’t find genius Americans out of 335,000,000 people?
There are over 330 million people in America. Surely, there must be enough among them to build your ultimate team? Why would you deny real Americans that opportunity by bringing foreigners here?
— iamyesyouareno (@iamyesyouareno) December 25, 2024
The Musk clarification:
Look, I do understand your reasoning. And I also want us to get people to Mars as quickly as possible, and maybe this is the best way to achieve that. However, I think it’s clear that America has now decisively voted against immigration and in favor of mass deportations. Yes, we…
— iamyesyouareno (@iamyesyouareno) December 25, 2024
Bonchie:
Vivek is such an annoying little shit.
— Mr. John Daniels (@dan_themandan) December 26, 2024
American workers can leave a company. Imported H1B workers can’t. Tech wants indentured servants, not “high-skilled” workers. https://t.co/MRQc0zLjaT
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) December 26, 2024
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