According to WIRED, the Tesla boss is an illegal alien and could face criminal charges if it is discovered that he was untruthful in his immigration applications. Of course, it is unlikely. Musk is very wealthy, and the US has a habit of letting rich people get away with murder.

A Washington Post investigation uncovered that Musk, who came to the US on a student visa to attend Stanford University, didn’t enrol in classes but instead dove head-first into the tech scene, working on his start-up, Zip2, without any apparent work authorisation.

The Post reported that Musk worked illegally in the country during that period, citing sources that include former business associates, court records, and company documents.

 According to WIRED, Musk has denied any wrongdoing and insisted he had work authorisation as soon as he needed it. Musk secured legal work status in 1997, but it remains to be seen whether immigration authorities will dig deeper into this historic case, potentially leaving Musk in legal jeopardy.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Service could refer the case to the US Attorney’s Office if they find “solid evidence that Musk broke the law.” This could lead to prosecution or, at the very least, a high-stakes showdown between one of the world’s most powerful men and the federal government, which, as we know in the US, always results in the money winning. Besides if Trump wins the case against Musk is likely to disappear.