Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest individual and a vocal supporter of restrictive immigration policies, reportedly worked in the United States without proper authorization after dropping out of a graduate program in 1995, according to a report by The Washington Post. Musk, who has recently voiced support for Donald Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric, briefly worked illegally after leaving Stanford University to focus on building his first company, Zip2, an early venture that set the stage for his eventual fortune.
Musk, now the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has acknowledged that his transition from student to entrepreneur was in a "legal grey area." However, immigration experts consulted by The Washington Post suggest that Musk was more likely violating U.S. immigration laws at the time. According to these experts, foreign students are not allowed to leave school to work on a business, even if they are unpaid, without proper work authorization. "If you do anything that helps to facilitate revenue creation, such as design code or try to make sales, then you're in trouble," explained Leon Fresco, a former immigration attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.
The report highlights how Musk, after dropping out of Stanford, continued to work on his start-up without the legal right to do so. The Zip2 venture eventually sold for $300 million, giving Musk his first major financial breakthrough. Musk's work on this company, while he did not have proper documentation, raises questions about the billionaire's current public stance on immigration.
Musk, a South African native, initially came to North America by obtaining Canadian citizenship through his mother. After studying in Canada, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, which provided him with a U.S. student visa. In 1995, Musk moved to Palo Alto, California, to attend Stanford University, where he planned to pursue a PhD. However, after just two days, he left the program to focus on Zip2, leaving him without legal status to remain in the U.S. unless he was enrolled in school. According to the report, Musk admitted in a 2005 email to Tesla co-founders that he "had no legal right to stay in the country" after leaving Stanford, a fact that alarmed early investors in Zip2.
The Post's revelations about Musk's illegal work status have surfaced at a time when the billionaire has increasingly promoted anti-immigration narratives on his social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter. Musk's support for stricter immigration controls, particularly through his alignment with Trump's anti-immigration policies, contrasts sharply with his own experiences as an immigrant navigating U.S. visa laws.
Musk's younger brother, Kimbal Musk, also faced immigration issues when he joined his brother to help run Zip2. Kimbal has since admitted that he lied to U.S. border agents to gain reentry into the country after being denied entry for working illegally. "That's fraud on entry," immigration lawyer Ira Kurzban told The Washington Post. Kimbal's actions, experts say, could have led to permanent inadmissibility to the U.S. unless penalties were waived.
Zip2 investors, concerned about the Musk brothers' immigration status, sought legal advice to ensure they could stay in the U.S. legally. Mohr Davidow Ventures, which invested $3 million into the company in 1996, reportedly included clauses in the agreement that required the Musks to resolve their legal status within 45 days of receiving the funds. "We don't want our founder being deported," Derek Proudian, who later became CEO of Zip2, told The Washington Post. Another investor, speaking anonymously, admitted that the investors "never examined whether [Musk] was a legal citizen."
In 1999, Zip2 was sold to Compaq for $305 million, with Musk personally earning $22 million from the deal, which marked the beginning of his entrepreneurial success. Musk went on to become CEO of PayPal before founding Tesla, SpaceX, and other companies that have made him the richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $274 billion, according to Forbes. He became a U.S. citizen in 2002.
However, questions remain about whether Musk fully disclosed his prior immigration issues when applying for U.S. citizenship. Under U.S. law, false statements about immigration status during the citizenship application process can be grounds for revocation. While it is unclear whether Musk made any false claims, his history of unauthorized work in the U.S. may complicate the narrative he presents today as an advocate for strict immigration enforcement.
The Washington Post report contrasts Musk's early immigration challenges with his current political rhetoric. Musk has been a vocal supporter of Trump's stance on border security and has frequently used X to amplify concerns about illegal immigration. Recently, he compared the U.S.-Mexico border situation to a "zombie apocalypse" and accused Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, of "importing voters" through immigration policies.
Musk's personal history with immigration also resurfaced during a 2013 panel discussion with his brother Kimbal at the Milken Institute, where Kimbal referred to them as "illegal immigrants." Musk quickly added that their situation had been "a gray area." However, legal experts argue that Musk's immigration status during his early years in the U.S. was more black and white than he suggests.
