Elon Musk’s Illegal Work: Stanford Studies Quit

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

Elon Musk worked illegally in the US during the 1990s after quitting his graduate studies. He arrived in 1995 to attend Stanford University but never enrolled. Musk developed the software company Zip2, which sold for $300 million in 1999.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

South African-born billionaire businessman Elon Musk worked illegally in the United States while building a startup company in the 1990s. Musk arrived in Palo Alto, California, in 1995 to attend Stanford University but never enrolled in the graduate studies program. Instead, he developed the software company Zip2, which sold for around $300 million in 1999.

According to the Washington Post, two immigration law experts noted that Musk would have needed to be enrolled in a full course of study to maintain valid work authorization as a student. Musk did not respond to requests for comment sent to four of his companies, nor did his lawyer, Alex Spiro.

In a 2020 podcast, Musk stated, “I was legally there, but I was meant to be doing student work. I was allowed to do work sort of supporting whatever.”

The Washington Post cited two former Musk colleagues who recalled Musk receiving his US work authorization in or around 1997. Musk has endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the upcoming US election on November 5.