Was Nikola Tesla an immigrant? Everything to know as Elon Musk recounts naming his company after "one of the greatest engineers"

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently shared his perspective in support of Silicon Valley's hiring practices amid the ongoing debate concerning H-1B visas in the United States. Taking to X on December 28, 2024, Musk tweeted:

"We named @Tesla after Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest engineers ever. He was a penniless immigrant whose inventions led to American dominance in electricity generation and usage."

Known for pioneering the transmission, use, and generation of alternating current, Nikola Tesla belonged to a family of Serbian origin. Born in Smiljan, Austrian Empire, Nikola Tesla immigrated to the United States in 1884 and sold the patent rights of alternating current, motors, and transformers to George Westinghouse.

Additionally, in 1938, Nikola Tesla's efforts and achievements were honored by the Institute of Immigrant Welfare, where he spoke about his struggles as an immigrant during the acceptance speech.

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"There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent"— Elon Musk comments on H-1B visa debate

H-1B visas are short-term visas given to foreign workers hired for U.S. jobs that require specialized knowledge. These visas are commonly used by tech companies to hire engineers and professionals in fields such as medicine and education.

The debate surrounding these visas intensified when right-wing influencer Laura Loomer criticized Donald Trump's selection of Sriram Krishnan as an advisor on artificial intelligence policy, claiming that Krishnan would favor the possibility of bringing more skilled immigrants into the country.

In response, Department of Government Efficiency co-chairs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy defended Silicon Valley's hiring practices, emphasizing the benefits of immigrants who come to the U.S. through H-1B visas.

On December 25, 2024, Elon Musk responded to an X user, @amasad, who inquired whether qualified native-born Americans were missing out on tech jobs because of immigrants. Musk pointed out that there are "hundreds of thousands" of unfulfilled jobs in tech.

He tweeted:

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

Additionally, the Tesla CEO responded to @MarioNawfal's tweet, which claimed that the engineering talent shortage is Silicon Valley's biggest limitation. The tweet noted that the country's semiconductor industry alone requires more than 160,000 engineers by 2032.

In response, Musk said:

"No, we need more like double that number yesterday! The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low. Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win."

Furthering the debate surrounding H-1B visas, an X user, @iamyesyouareno, addressed Elon Musk by stating that with over 330 million people in America, there should be enough talent for him to build his team. The user questioned why the Tesla CEO was denying real Americans opportunities by bringing foreigners into the country.

Musk responded by stating that their understanding of the situation was "upside-down." He mentioned that his companies would prefer to hire Americans because it is easier than undergoing the "painful and slow work visa process." Musk added that there is a dire shortage of motivated and extremely talented engineers in America and that offering jobs isn't as easy as handing them out of a magic hat.

Citing NBA teams as an example, Elon Musk noted that while it is easy to figure out the physical difference between players in an NBA team, the "MENTAL differences between humans are FAR bigger than the physical differences!!".

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Elon Musk is co-chair of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Vivek Ramaswamy. The department is an advisory body with a direct line to the White House.