Washington Post Claims Musk Worked Illegally While Building Zip2 in the 90s

Elon Musk has found himself at the center of controversy following a report from The Washington Post that alleges he worked illegally in the United States during a brief period in the 1990s while launching his first startup, Zip2.

The report claims that Musk arrived in Palo Alto, California, in 1995 to attend Stanford University but never enrolled in his graduate program. Instead, he focused on developing his software company, which would later sell for approximately $300 million in 1999.

According to Musk, he was legally permitted to work in the U.S. during this time. He stated on his social media platform X that he was on a J-1 visa, which transitioned to an H1-B visa, allowing him to work temporarily. The J-1 Exchange Visitor visa is designed for foreign students to gain academic training in the U.S., while the H1-B visa is intended for temporary employment.

Two immigration law experts quoted in The Washington Post highlighted that to maintain valid work authorization as a student, Musk would have needed to be enrolled in a full course of study. Musk, however, defended his status, explaining that while he was in the U.S. on a student visa, he was allowed to do work that supported his activities.

Further complicating matters, two former colleagues of Musk recalled that he received his U.S. work authorization around 1997, which has raised questions about the legality of his work during that earlier period.

Adding to the headlines, Musk recently endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for the upcoming November 5 election, where Trump faces off against Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris in a closely contested race. Trump has long positioned himself as a hardliner on immigration, portraying migrants negatively and promising the largest deportation effort in U.S. history if re-elected.