Elon Musk Responds to Allegations of Censoring Critics on X

Elon Musk, co-chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency, arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 5, 2024. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Elon Musk this week responded to allegations that he is suppressing free speech after removing several prominent users’ capacity to monetize their content on social media platform X.

Multiple prominent account holders in recent days have accused Musk of removing their verification on X amid a debate over H-1B visas and foreign workers in the United States.

Responding to a post on the platform about complaints that he was not living up to his promises of promoting free speech on X, he wrote on New Year’s Day, “The first amendment is protection for ‘free speech,’ not ‘paid speech.’”

In another comment, the multibillionaire Tesla owner responded to a claim made by commentator Nick Fuentes, who appeared to have lost his verification, that “Twitter censorship is back” and that “free speech is dead.” Musk ridiculed the idea that Fuentes is “claiming censorship while simultaneously getting millions of views” on the platform.

Multiple prominent accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers—including those of Laura Loomer, InfoWars host and Jan. 6 defendant Owen Shroyer, New York Young Republican Club president Gavin Wax, and the ConservativePAC—lost their verification in recent days, meaning that their content cannot be monetized on X.

Loomer, Wax, and several others claimed that it was because they spoke against H-1B visas, a U.S. program that allows up to 65,000 highly skilled foreign workers inside the country annually along with 20,000 foreigners who obtained an advanced degree from a U.S. institution, to fill specialized roles in the U.S. workforce. Loomer, Wax, and many others have been critical of the program, saying it discriminates against U.S.-born workers and is misused by tech companies to depress wages.

Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were both tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, drew a backlash from some Republicans over their stance on the visa programs and immigration.

“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 [expletive] in the face,” Musk wrote in a post in late December. “I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”

Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, wrote on X that he believes that U.S. culture has “venerated mediocrity over excellence.”

“We welcomed the tech bros when they came running our way to avoid the 3rd grade teacher picking their kid’s gender—and the obvious Biden/Harris economic decline,” former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) wrote last week in response to Musk and Ramaswamy. “We did not ask them to engineer an immigration policy.”

Loomer said in a post that tech billionaires have descended “upon Palm Beach,” where Trump resides in the aftermath of his November election victory.

Two days later, Musk responded by saying: “Loomer is trolling for attention. Ignore.”

Days later, Loomer said she lost access to premium features.

On New Year’s Eve, Trump weighed in on the controversy and appeared to back Musk and Ramaswamy, saying he supports the H-1B visa program and that the United States needs “smart people” to work certain jobs.

“I didn’t change my mind. I always felt we have to have the most competent people in our country,” he told reporters on Dec. 31, 2024. “We need competent people. We need smart people coming into our country. We need a lot of people coming in. We’re going to have jobs like we’ve never had before.”

Musk changed his tone on the H-1B visas in a post over the past weekend, saying the program likely needs to be overhauled.

“I’ve been very clear that the program is broken and needs major reform,” he said at one point.