Elon Musk Consents to the Social Media Post Suggesting that U.S. Citizens Lack the Intellect for High-Tech Positions
This holiday season, here's a cheerful tale that might put a smile on your face: The worst individuals you can think of are engaged in a dispute. The MAGA versus Tech Right conflict commenced during Christmas, triggered by disagreements on permitting skilled foreign workers to enter the country. This conflict escalated on Thursday, when Elon Musk labeled certain far-right figures, such as former Trump ally Laura Loomer, as trolls and allegedly revoked their verification status on Twitter.
Musk dedicated most of his time on Friday supporting H-1B visa programs, which enable American companies to employ noncitizens for specialized professions and are a popular technique in the tech realm to attract global talent. He went about it in a rather unconventional way, expressing agreement with a post from Autism Capital that claimed the tech industry doesn't hire Americans because "you guys are retarded."
This stance drew the ire of the nationalist right, who largely supported Trump due to his immigration limitations. Figures like Loomer, InfoWars host Owen Shroyer, and others retaliated against Musk and other tech-right figures, such as Vivek Ramaswamy, for their pro-immigration stance. As Musk withdrew from the discussion, attributing it mainly to trolling, his most critical detractors also lost their verification status on Twitter.
Loomer, Shroyer, Newsmax contributor Gavin Wax, and political action committee ConservativeOG all lost their verification in the aftermath of the H-1B visa debate after openly opposing Musk and his allies. This de-verification won't only eliminate their verification mark but also the income generated from their attention-seeking posts and premium subscribers who supported them.
It seems that these accounts lost their validation due to their affiliation with ConservativeOG. One method to earn verification on Twitter is through association with a validated organization, which ConservativeOG previously had, as indicated by the gold checkmark that once appeared on its profile. At some point, ConservativeOG was terminated, and thus were its associates. Loomer and ConservativeOG have a connection, as evidenced by an archived version of Loomer’s account that displays the ConservativeOG logo next to her verification badge. It's unclear if Loomer's actions led to ConservativeOG's de-verification.
Loomer is currently serving a 12-hour suspension on Twitter due to a post in which she falsely accused Sriram Krishnan, Trump's incoming senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence, of donating to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign.
It's worth mentioning that the verification purge appears to extend beyond those directly involved in the H-1B visa debate. The account RawAlerts, which primarily posts clickbait and drama-farming material, also lost its verification. Additionally, several other individuals have raised concerns that their verification status is under review with no explanation.
In the midst of the immigration controversy, Musk announced a modification to the Twitter algorithm that would decrease the rank of posts from users who are blocked or muted by "credible, verified subscriber accounts"—a move that Loomer perceived as an attack on her due to her belief that everything is always about her. However, it's possible that the review of verification badges is related to the algorithm adjustment.
Regardless, it seems that Musk's rapport with MAGA loyalists is deteriorating. It's clear that Musk and other techies who opted to align with Trump are attempting to move past the H-1B debate, and potentially even attempt to suppress the accounts leading the opposition. However, the far-right has dug in their heels even further following the questionable de-verification move and appears committed to continuing the battle. May they all fail.
In the future, Elon Musk and other tech-focused individuals might face more backlash from the nationalist right due to their support for hiring noncitizens under H-1B visa programs. advances in technology and the digital age have made social media platforms like Twitter a powerful tool for political discussions and conflicts, such as the one between Musk and the MAGA versus Tech Right.
