Billionaire Elon Musk is frustrated with federal government for not allowing him to hire more foreign labor for his rocket company, SpaceX.
“You’re going interplanetary, but you’re not going international, ” Anastasia, a self-proclaimed Russian, asked Musk during a question and answer session in Mexico City Tuesday. “When are you going to hire people from countries other than the U.S?”
Musk said labor regulations make importing foreigners too expensive. The billionaire bemoaned the fact that the government considers rockets to be an “advanced weapons technology,” and that therefore a normal work visa “wasn’t sufficient” without “special permission from the secretary of defense.”
Musk added that blocking immigrants “is not a wise policy for the U.S. because there are so many wise people in the world.”
Unless a candidate already has a green card, Musk said, he’s legally prevented from hiring people from outside the U.S. for SpaceX.
“We really wish we could do more, but our hands are tied,” Musk said.
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