Did Elon Musk tell an X user to "F**K YOURSELF in the face"? Tesla owner's viral response amid H-1B row explored

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has gone viral online after asking an X user to "f*ck himself in the face" over a disagreement on the H-1B visa issue. The controversy began when X user Steven Mackey quoted one of Musk's videos where the billionaire was talking about not trying to "optimize something that shouldn't exist."

Mackey responded to Musk's video by alluding to his stance on H-1B visas in the United States and wrote in a supposedly sarcastic tone:

“Stop trying to optimize something that shouldn’t exist. Let’s optimize H1-B.”

In response, Elon Musk used the f-word while also clearing his stance on the matter. The tweet, dated December 28, 2024, went viral on X, garnering over 2.2 million views and over 17K likes. The Tesla CEO wrote:

"The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B. Take a big step back and F*CK YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend."

Elon Musk's tweet on X in response to Steven Mackey (Image via X/@elonmusk)

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, H-1B visas are issued for working professionals who have "theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge" and hold a bachelor's degree in their chosen field.

The professionals will be eligible for an H-1B visa to work in the United States if they are offered a temporary job by a US company that must offer a wage not lower than what is paid to similarly qualified workers. It can also not be less than the prevailing compensation for the wage in the applicable geographical area where the person will be working.

For those uninformed, billionaires like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have recently shared their take on H-1B visas on X. The Tesla CEO has come out in support of granting H-1B visas to work in the United States in order to attract highly skilled workers to the country.

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X user Steven Mackey responds to Elon Musk's stance on H-1B visa

President-Elect Donald Trump Meets With Biden, Congressional Leaders In Washington - Source: Getty

After Elon Musk took to X to respond to Steven Mackey's supposed dig at the billionaire's stance on H-1B visas, Mackey replied to him on the platform. The X user explained that he is "agnostic" on the raging H-1B visa debate and wrote:

"There seems to be a lot of confusion about this interaction. I personally am the biggest fan of Elon on the planet and I always will be. I’m also capable of disagreeing with people I deeply respect and admire. That being said I am agnostic on whether or not H1b should be reformed or deleted."

He added:

"It is clear however that there is an extreme amount of abuse in H1b programs that need to be addressed. I hope we all can appreciate that fact and that Elon, Vivek, and Doge give this issue the justice it deserves regardless of any previous personal history with the program."

The tech industry in the United States has often advocated for H-1B visas to attract skilled workers to the country. Elon Musk himself worked in the US on the visa once and has employed foreign engineers and tech workers in his company, Tesla, using the program. As reported by Forbes, Tesla was among the leading employers for foreign workers who work in the United States on H-1B visas.

However, Donald Trump's 2020 administration had restricted the program. The advocates against the H-1B visa claim that the program allows businesses to replace Americans with foreign workers working for lower wages.

The debate sparked off on X this week after both Elon Musk and Roivant Sciences CEO Vivek Ramaswamy advocated for the tech industry's need for workers using H-1B visas. In a viral post dated December 26 on X, Ramaswamy wrote:

"Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer)."

Elon Musk also shared similar views on the matter on X on December 25, as he said:

"There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley."

Advocates of the H-1B visa believe that the program is essential to bring in skilled workers to the United States, such as software engineers or other technology-related professionals. They believe the program is important to account for the hard-to-fill positions that run the tech companies in the country. Elon Musk is a clear advocate of the same.

Meanwhile, critics of the H-1B visa consider it harmful for Americans as it takes away their jobs. Some have also called for the program to be eliminated and not expanded. A report from CBS' 60 Minutes has stated that many companies have reportedly taken advantage of the program to replace American workers with lower-wage foreign workers.

It remains to be seen how Donald Trump's return as US President in January affects the raging H-1B visa debate, with his stance on immigrants being controversial, to say the least.