Summary
Tesla replaced many laid-off U.S. workers with foreign H-1B visa holders after a 2024 wave of layoffs affecting 15,000 employees.
These visas, tied to employer sponsorship, often lower compensation and give employers significant leverage over workers.
Critics argue this displaces U.S. employees, as senior engineers were replaced by lower-paid junior engineers.
CEO Elon Musk, while advocating for expanding H-1B visa caps, faces backlash, especially from conservatives, for “job-stealing” concerns.
Musk contends there’s a U.S. skill shortage, but critics highlight potential exploitation tied to Tesla’s demanding work culture and visa dependence.
A company that lays off workers should be banned from hiring H1B workers for 10 years.
Shit, I’d take something even simpler, even a 1 year moratorium after a layoff.
I’d prefer killing the program entirely and opting for boosting immigration of talent to become permanent citizens.
But as a second option, I really like this idea. Any company that sheds workers and then is crying about how they cannot find the talent among citizens is so obviously full of shit.