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Elon Musk appeared on the People by WTF podcast on November 30, where he discussed his strong opposition to Donald Trump’s tariff policies. During the episode, he broke down why, in his view, tariffs disrupted economic efficiency and created unnecessary barriers.
Explaining his stance, Musk said that free trade naturally allowed markets to function more efficiently, while tariffs interfered with that balance.
“I think generally free trade is better, (it) is more efficient. Tariffs tend to create distortions in markets,” he said, adding that such barriers made little sense even at a fundamental level.
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Musk, the South African–born Canadian-American businessman, inventor, and investor, held a net worth of $475 billion, making him the richest person in the world. Trump, the President of the United States, on the other hand, was a politician, author, and television personality with an estimated net worth of $6 billion.
Despite the difference in wealth and background, Musk emphasized that his disagreement with Trump was rooted in economics.
To illustrate his point, he compared international tariffs to imaginary restrictions between individuals, cities, or states, suggesting that such barriers would make everyday life chaotic and the economy dysfunctional. He explained:
“Would you want tariffs between you and everyone else at an individual level? That would make life very difficult. Would you want tariffs between each city? No. That would be very annoying. Would you want tariffs between each state within the United States?...That would be disastrous for the economy...then why do you want tariffs between countries?”
Musk further said the real challenge lay in Trump’s unwavering enthusiasm for tariffs, noting that he had personally attempted to change the President’s mind without success.
“I mean, the President made it clear he loves tariffs. You know, I’ve tried to dissuade him from this point of view, but unsuccessfully,” he said.
Elon Musk discusses Donald Trump’s New H-1B visa fee on the People by WTF podcast
Tesla CEO Elon Musk weighed in on US President Donald Trump’s new H-1B visa fee during the aforementioned podcast episode, linking it to broader debates about skilled immigration, border policy, and outsourcing practices.
Trump’s September directive introduced a $100,000 (£74,000) fee for all H-1B visa applicants, sparking widespread concern among Indian workers and American employers. Since nearly 70% of H-1B visas had historically gone to Indian professionals in tech and healthcare, the policy shift carried significant implications.
During his conversation with Nikhil Kamath, Musk argued that the Biden era had been marked by what he viewed as lax border controls and large waves of illegal immigration. He also addressed the belief held by some Americans that companies relied on foreign workers primarily to cut labor costs.
While acknowledging why people felt undercut, he clarified that his companies operated differently, emphasizing that his priority had always been hiring the “most talented people in the world.”
“My direct observation is that there’s always a scarcity of talented people...From my standpoint, we have a lot of difficulty finding enough talented people to get these difficult tasks done, and so more talented people would be good,” Elon Musk added.
As the conversation shifted to H-1B visas, Musk stressed that he supported high-skilled immigration but believed the programme had been distorted by outsourcing firms. He said some companies “gamed the system,” weakening the programme’s original intent.
“It would be accurate to say that some of the outsourcing companies have kind of gamed the system on the H-1B front, and we need to stop the gaming of the system,” Elon Musk explained.
Musk reiterated that although the programme had issues, shutting it down entirely would be harmful.
“I’m certainly not in the school of thought that we should shut down the H-1B program… some on the right are. I think they don’t realize that that would actually be very bad,” Elon Musk said.
Elon Musk remains focused on leading his companies, Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, while continuing to engage in global political and technological debates.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump recently met with his national security team in the Oval Office on December 1 to discuss Venezuela, signaling the administration’s escalating pressure on the country.
