Tesla founder Elon Musk has discovered himself in the course of a justifiable share of controversies. The scandals have solely elevated for the reason that tech mogul and billionaire magnate bought Twitter in 2022. Listed here are a number of the most controversial issues Musk has stated and carried out:
Buying Twitter
It is unattainable to not begin with the large one. Musk controversially acquired Twitter for $44 billion in Oct. 2022, handing him management of one of many world’s largest social media manufacturers. Instantly after his buy, there have been main issues over just a few adjustments he made to the platform.
Antisemitic and racist tweets spiked after Musk’s acquisition — Within the first 24 hours after his buy, “over 1200 tweets and retweets” had unfold antisemitism, the Anti-Defamation League experiences. Hateful rhetoric in the direction of Black individuals additionally elevated, with The Washington Publish discovering a 500 p.c improve in using the N-word on Twitter simply half a day after Musk’s buy.
Musk himself additionally used the platform to unfold hate, and tweeted a hyperlink to an article spreading conspiracy theories concerning the assault on Paul Pelosi, husband of former Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Whereas Musk deleted the tweet hours later, Insider notes, his message “echoed a wider effort by far-right influencers and a few conservatives to downplay and unfold baseless theories concerning the assault.”
‘Funding Secured’ tweet
Other than Twitter, Musk has confronted authorized battles surrounding the corporate that put him on the map: Tesla. Probably the most notable includes a 2018 tweet through which Musk wrote that he had “funding secured” to take the corporate non-public at $420 per share.
Shareholders sued, nevertheless, when it was found that Musk had not secured the mandatory monetary backing on the time of this tweet. A U.S. District Choose stated “there was nothing concrete,” in Musk’s tweet, per Reuters, and Musk had “[acted] recklessly” in tweeting concerning the funding. The Los Angeles Occasions moreover experiences that Musk’s false tweet prompted Tesla buyers to lose $12 billion.
Musk was ultimately discovered not chargeable for any losses skilled by the shareholders.
Mocking pronouns
Musk has made his opinions on self-selected gender pronouns clear on a number of events. This contains tweeting that he was not a fan of self-identifying pronouns “when somebody is giving each attainable visible cue for she or he, however then nonetheless insists on telling you precisely what you count on.” One other notable occasion occurred when he mocked the state of affairs by tweeting, “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci,” a jab on the nation’s prime infectious illness professional, Anthony Fauci, who has been focused by conservatives for his dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each of those tweets generated vital backlash. Retired astronaut Scott Kelly asked Musk to not “mock and promote hate towards already marginalized and at-risk-of-violence members of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood,” and added, “Dr. Fauci is a devoted public servant whose sole motivation was saving lives.”
Musk’s former associate, singer Grimes, additionally weighed in. Following the tweets, she “[asked] him to show off his cellphone or to offer her a name,” NME experiences, including, “I can’t assist hate. Please cease this. I do know this is not your coronary heart.”
His youngsters’s names
Musk has 10 youngsters, and has generated a whole lot of media buzz for a few of their extra uncommon names.
In 2020, Musk and Grimes welcomed a son, who they named X Æ A-12. This created a stir as a result of in California, the place Musk was dwelling on the time, names can solely use the 26 letters of the English alphabet, The Washington Publish experiences. His identify was ultimately modified to take away the ’12.’
The ex-couple additionally has a daughter initially named Exa Darkish Sideræl. Her identify has since been modified to Y, Why, or ?, USA Right this moment notes. These distinctive names have introduced Musk and Grimes loads of mockery, with one particular person telling Grimes on Twitter, “Inform us you are … pretentious … WITHOUT telling me you are … pretentious.”
In 2022, one other one among Musk’s daughters, who’s transgender, legally dropped Musk as her final identify, saying she didn’t need to “be associated to my organic father in any manner, form or type.”