Elon Musk is a visionary entrepreneur and the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink. He has emerged as a dominant force in the business and technology world.
His relentless pursuit of revolutionary technologies has earned him a massive following of admirers who see him as a modern-day innovator, constantly pushing the limits of what is possible.
However, amidst his remarkable success and adoration, there exists a faction of individuals who harbor a deep dislike towards him. This raises the question:
Why Do People Hate Elon Musk?
Most people hate Elon Musk because of his personality and how he carries himself. Elon portrays the image of a toxic partner and boss, and he always does things that put him on the wrong side of fans and critics.
It isn’t uncommon for him to make inappropriate remarks. From sexual assault accusations to anti-LGBTQ+ comments and political statements, Elon seems to find a way to trigger every demographic.
Biggest Reasons Why Most People Hate Elon Musk
It is no secret that Elon Musk is not the most popular person on the Internet, and the people who hate him have their fair share of reasons why.
Elon Musk is a notorious public figure who is always getting in trouble for one reason or another, but what makes so many people hate him?
1. Inflated Ego
To say Elon Musk has a massive ego would be an understatement. One joke that’s done the rounds on social media expresses a standard view of the billionaire when it asks: “What’s the difference between Elon Musk and God?” The answer: “God doesn’t think he’s Elon Musk.”
Some of Tesla’s public remarks show that he sees himself as more than just one of the world’s most successful business people but as a Messianic figure.
When he purchased Twitter in April 2022, he stated that he was doing so not for monetary motives but because it was “important to the future of civilization” and he wanted to “help humanity.”
Another narcissistic and controversial event occurred in October 2022, when Musk attempted to intervene as an international peacemaker in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The intervention appears to have occurred following the billionaire’s conversation with Vladimir Putin, though Musk fiercely denies this conversation ever happened.
Musk’s ideas involved Ukraine conceding territory to Russia, infuriating Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This created an online debate in which Zelensky vehemently opposed Musk’s proposals, followed by Musk threatening to discontinue funding thousands of SpaceX Starlink satellite internet terminals for Ukraine, though he eventually backtracked.
2. Self-Serving Politics and Misguided Philosophy
Elon Musk wants to present himself as someone beyond party politics in public. He claims to be an independent thinker who has donated to both major political parties in the United States. Still, critics maintain that his support mainly depends on his specific business interests at the time.
Musk claims to have voted Democratic in the past. Despite this, he advised people to vote Republican in the 2022 midterm elections on Twitter.
Musk has been chastised for being unduly friendly toward China’s restrictive communist regime, allegedly motivated by the possible financial advantages of accessing the Asian country’s markets for Tesla products and services, according to his opponents.
He’s a contributing writer for China Cyberspace, the official journal of China’s Cyberspace Administration, which imposes internet restrictions in the country. This contradicts Musk’s claims to be a supporter of free expression.
Elon Musk has campaigned for the contentious ideology of “longtermism” and claims to have used it to steer his life and business.
The philosophy’s supporters think that the belief system inspires humanity to help future generations survive and thrive.
However, the philosophy has been widely criticized by writers and philosophers. For example, former longtermist Émile P Torres has called it “the most dangerous secular belief system in the world today.”
3. Hypocrisy
Elon Musk has faced criticism for his lack of ethics, especially when he used double standards.
Musk, for example, has regularly spoken out against what he perceives as an overbearing US government, criticizing the numerous laws and restrictions imposed on businesses.
He has spoken out against government spending, especially subsidies, and has advocated for a “billionaire’s tax” on the ultra-rich.
Musk’s libertarian-style remarks contradict the fact that he owns many companies (including Tesla Motors, SpaceX, and SolarCity) that have reaped massive government subsidies.
Musk wants to be known as a public figure concerned about the environment. However, his actual behaviour on green issues appears questionable.
One example is the billionaire’s habit of taking relatively short trips on private aircraft, even when considerably more environmentally friendly options are available. He also raised eyebrows by criticizing the environmentally friendly Build Back Better legislation.
While Musk has described himself as a “free speech absolutist” in the past, critics claim this is not the case.
The reality is that the millionaire businessman and investor has thin skin: he enjoys the opportunity to express himself freely. Still, he has a history of taking extreme action when he is the one being challenged.
4. Chaotic Love Life and Sexual Misconduct Allegation
Elon Musk’s sexual life has been complicated, to say the least, and has sparked much online curiosity and tabloid newspaper coverage.
It has become common knowledge that the Tesla founder fathered nine children with three different women and has been divorced several times.
Musk had twins with one of his top colleagues at Neuralink in July 2022, just weeks before he welcomed his second kid with his partner Grimes through a surrogate.
The unusual names given to Grimes’ two children also raised eyebrows. Their son was called X A-12, or ‘X’ for short, and their daughter Exa Dark Siderael, or ‘Y’ for short.
A SpaceX contract flight attendant submitted a sexual assault accusation against Musk in May 2022. The billionaire was accused of proposing to the attendant and offering to buy her a horse if she agreed to perform a sex act on him.
What Elon Controversies Have Fueled The Hate From The Public?
Every public figure has people who hate them and others who love them, and unfortunately for Elon, there are more haters than fans.
This hate didn’t come from thin air; Elon has been involved in various controversies, especially recently, that have fueled public hostility towards him.
1. Musk thinks his father is “evil.”
Elon Musk was born in apartheid-era South Africa in 1971, the son of Errol, a part-owner of an emerald mine in Zambia. Musk and Errol’s relationship has been turbulent throughout his childhood; they are currently estranged, and it’s simple to see why.
“He was such a terrible human being,” Musk lamented to Rolling Stone in 2017. “My father will have a well-thought-out evil plan.” He will plot evil… You have no idea how bad it is. He has committed almost every crime imaginable. He has done about every bad thing you can think of.”
2. The Weird Names He Gave to His Many Children
Most notably, Musk’s son with indie musician Grimes, born in 2020, is designated X A-XII. They gave their second child, a girl born in 2021, a little less strange name: Exa Dark Siderael.
Griffin, Xavier, Kai, Saxon, and Damian are the names of his children with Justine Wilson. All names are unusual and don’t make sense to most people.
3. Musk canceled the Tesla order of a venture capitalist who wrote a blog post criticizing him.
Stewart Alsop, a venture capitalist, published an open letter to Musk on Medium in 2015 titled “Dear @ElonMusk: You should be ashamed of yourself,” in which he complained about a lack of organization at a Tesla Model X launch event.
He said that to attend, he had to put down a $5,000 deposit on a new car, that the event began about two hours late, that the organizers did not supply enough food for the guests, and so on.
In reaction to Alsop’s numerous complaints, Musk, a staunch supporter of free expression, canceled his Model X pre-order. Alsop was in a state of shock.
In a follow-up post, the capitalist wrote, “I am a little taken aback to be banned by Tesla … I am mostly sorry not to be able to participate in the automobile revolution that Tesla started.”
4. Musk is opposed to unions.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, appears willing to go to any length to prevent Tesla employees from unionizing.
According to the New York Times, in 2019, the National Labor Relations Board determined that “Tesla had illegally fired a worker involved in union organizing and that the company’s chief executive, Elon Musk, had illegally threatened workers with the loss of stock options if they unionized.”
Where did Musk threaten workers who sought to form a union? On Twitter, no less! “Why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing?” he tweeted.
Conclusion
Now you know why some people hate Elon Musk. Despite everything, his impact on the world cannot be denied. His visionary approach to technology and ambitious goals have earned him a massive following of admirers.
However, it is also clear that many individuals harbor negative feelings towards him. The reasons for this hatred may vary, but some common threads can be observed.
Musk’s outspoken and controversial nature, his tendency to make bold claims that are not always met with immediate success, and his perceived arrogance are some factors that contribute to the dislike some people feel toward him.
