Elon Musk took to X on Monday to criticise the controversy surrounding Sriram Krishnan’s views on immigration and green card caps, calling the opposing views a “fixed pie” fallacy, which he described as “wrong-headed” economic thinking.
Musk made this statement amid Krishnan’s induction as senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence in the new Donald Trump administration.
“The ‘fixed pie’ fallacy is at the heart of much wrong-headed economic thinking. There is essentially infinite potential for job and company creation. Think of all the things that didn’t exist 20 or 30 years ago!” Musk wrote on X.
Musk’s comment followed an X post by investigative journalist Laura Loomer, who shared Krishnan’s tweet about removing country caps for green cards.
Loomer expressed concerns, claiming it went against Trump’s “America First” policy and that the Trump administration would face difficulties because of this. She also pointed out that none of the tech executives appointed to the Trump administration currently supported him in 2020.
Sriram Krishnan tweeted, “Anything to remove country caps for green cards/unlock skilled immigration would be huge.”
In his new role, Krishnan will collaborate closely with Trump’s AI and crypto czar, David Sacks, and help shape broader AI policy.
David Sacks responded to the controversy, clarifying, “Point of clarification: Sriram didn’t say he wants to remove all caps on green cards. He said he wants to remove country caps on green cards. Right now, every country in the world gets allocated the same number of green cards, no matter how many qualified applicants it has.
So applicants from India have an 11-year wait, whereas applicants from many other countries have no wait at all. Sriram still supports skills-based criteria for receiving a green card, not making the program unlimited. In fact, he wants to make the program entirely merit-based. Supporting a limited number of highly skilled immigrants is still a prevalent view on the right. Sriram is definitely not a ‘career leftist’!”
American entrepreneur Joe Lonsdale also defended Krishnan, stating, “My friend Sriram is America First. For the USA to have the highest standard of living, generous government services, and the strongest military, we need to recruit the best and brightest and build the best companies. I’m against more low-end H1B immigrants; but let’s win at the talent game.”
Sriram Krishnan’s appointment
Donald Trump has appointed Indian American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author Sriram Krishnan as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence.
In an official announcement alongside other appointments, the president-elect said, “Sriram Krishnan will serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.”
Trump further explained, “Working closely with David Sacks, Sriram will focus on ensuring continued American leadership in A.I., and help shape and coordinate A.I. policy across the Government, including working with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Sriram started his career at Microsoft as a founding member of Windows Azure.”
Sriram expressed his gratitude, saying, “I’m honored to be able to serve our country and ensure continued American leadership in AI working closely with @DavidSacks. Thank you @realDonaldTrump for this opportunity.”
