'US a beneficiary of Indian talent': 5 big quotes by Elon Musk on Nikhil Kamath's podcast

From sharing his partner's “half-Indian” roots to calling Indians talented amid big H-1B visa changes in the US, Elon Musk made some significant remarks

Updated on: Dec 1, 2025, 08:33:02 IST

By HT News Desk

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A highly anticipated interview of Tesla CEO Elon Musk with Indian podcaster Nikhil Kamath was released on Sunday and has been grabbing all the attention ever since. From investment advice to entrepreneurs to how the work culture is shaping up amid an advent of Artificial Intelligence, the interview on the show ‘People by WTF’ touched upon many subjects.

Musk also referred to India on multiple occasions while answering questions asked by the Zerodha co-founder.

The multi-billionaire also referred to India on multiple occasions while answering questions asked by the Zerodha co-founder. Hours after the interview was shared by Nikhil Kamath, Musk also reshared the post on his X handle.

From sharing his partner's “half-Indian” roots to calling Indians talented, and expressing his desire to enter the Indian market with Starlink, Musk made some significant remarks during the podcast.

Here are his top quotes:

Talking about the H-1B visa program in the US and the change in the country's immigration policies, Elon Musk said: "I think America has benefitted immensely from talented Indians that have come to America. Yeah, America has been an immense beneficiary of talent from India." While Musk noted that there has been some misuse of the H-1B Program, he also said he doesn't believe in shutting it down altogether.
Making a bold prediction on the work culture about two decades from now, Elon Musk said: “In less than 20 years, working at all will be optional...like a hobby pretty much....In less than 20 years, the advancements in AI or robotics will bring us to the point where working is optional.” Citing an example as reference, Musk said: "You can grow your own vegetables in the garden or go to the store and buy them."

Talking about SpaceX work with the Starlink programme, Elon Musk said: “And hopefully, India. We'd love to be operating in India. That would be great. We're operating in 150 different countries, now, with Starlink.”
When asked what advice he would give to young entrepreneurs in India, Elon Musk said: “I'm a big fan of anyone who wants to build. So I think anyone who wants to...you know, make more than they take, has my respect. So that's the main thing you should aim for, aim to make more than you take. Be a, you know, a net contributor to society.”
Elon Musk also shared that his partner Shivon Zilis is “half-Indian” and one of their children’s middle name is ‘Sekhar’. “One of my sons with her is, his middle name is Sekhar, after Chandrasekhar,” Musk said, referring to S Chandrasekhar, a renowned Indian-American astrophysicist.

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HT News Desk
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