🧐Vitalik Buterin calls on Elon Musk to "cool down" in the H1B visa controversy
Recently, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin expressed his personal views on Elon Musk's heated remarks regarding the H1B visa issue. Vitalik believes that while freedom of speech is important, Elon may be a bit too emotional about this matter.
The issue arose when Elon strongly supported the H1B visa on social media X, which allows American companies to recruit workers from abroad.
He emphasized: "It is because of the H1B visa that I and many talents who play key roles in SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of companies enhancing American competitiveness can stay in the U.S." He then stated firmly: "You better reconsider your position because I am prepared to fight vigorously on this issue that you may not fully understand."
This remark provoked a fierce backlash from conservatives, who argue that the H1B visa policy puts American workers at an unfair competitive disadvantage.
However, some have criticized Elon Musk for using his platform to suppress dissenting voices on his stance regarding the H1B visa, claiming he disabled advanced features for critics' accounts, raising public concerns about freedom of speech.
In response, Vitalik stated that he agrees on the importance of the free movement of people and views it as a fundamental freedom. But he also cautioned against making extreme statements, as they could be interpreted as censorship. He warned that frequently wielding the "banhammer" (the practice of deleting users or content) may yield short-term effects, but could set a bad precedent, leading to power dominating rational discourse becoming the new norm.
He further reminded everyone that such behavior could lead to long-term division, like an indiscriminate "meme beast" that attacks emerging target groups without distinction. In this regard, Vitalik calls on everyone to prioritize reason in public discourse rather than allowing power to dominate the debate.
💬 What do you think? Is Elon overly emotional about the H1B visa issue? Or do you have views on freedom of speech and rational debate in public discourse? Feel free to discuss!