Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Aug 20, 2026

Elon Musk says it's 'dumb' to call billionaires the bad guys

Elon Musk says it's 'dumb' to call billionaires the bad guys

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, said on Twitter Thursday that billionaires aren't the bad guys.
Musk tweeted that it is "morally wrong & dumb" to use the word billionaire as a pejorative if that person is using their wealth to create products that make "millions of people happy."

He added that if he could, he also would get rid of charitable deductions and class-action lawsuits.

Musk was replying to a tweet that said, "I feel like billionaires are most benign when trying to make money, and most nefarious when spending it trying to "do good."

Musk ran a Twitter poll, asking his 95 million followers who they trust less: politicians or billionaires. As of midday Friday, three-quarters of the 2.8 million respondents said they had less trust for politicians.

He then tagged Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who recently told Bloomberg she wanted to replace her Tesla with an EV made by a company that supports unionization. Musk dared the Democratic congresswoman to run the same poll with her own followers. Musk has largely opposed unionization for Tesla in the past.

"A union is just another corporation," Musk said in another Tweet Thursday, which had gained 4,000 likes by midday Friday. "Far better for companies to compete for your skills, so that you have maximum optionality."

Musk's pro-billionaire tweets arrived as the World Economic Forum in Davos comes to a close. The annual gathering of millionaires and billionaires has routinely been met with criticism about the failure of the world's wealthiest people to give significant sums to solve the world's biggest problems -- as vulnerable populations across the world are expected to face surging energy prices, extreme weather and soaring food prices this year.

Gabriela Bucher, the executive director of Oxfam International, told CNN at Davos this week that governments should tax wealth on the world's wealthiest people.

This is hardly the first time Musk has opined on how billionaires should be spending their money. On Monday, David Beasley, the head of the U.N.'s World Food Program, gave the Associated Press an update on his spat with the billionaire, which was sparked when he said in a 2021 CNN interview that billionaires must step up to combat world hunger.

Beasley suggested that $6 billion, or 2% of Musk's net worth at the time, could help solve the crisis.

"Musk put $6 billion into a foundation. But everybody thought it came to us, but we ain't gotten any of it yet. So I'm hopeful," Beasley told the Associated Press at Davos.

Musk then replied to Beasley, tweeting that he would sell Tesla stock "right now" if the food program could detail how $6 billion would solve world hunger. Beasley then replied with a 1,000 word "executive summary" that mapped out how the UN could utilize the money to feed more than 40 million people across 43 countries.

The WFP has received no funding from Musk. Although Beasley directly asked Musk for help when speaking to the Associated Press, he said he remains hopeful.

"I don't know what it's going to take," Beasley said. "We're trying every angle, you know: Elon, we need your help, brother."

Last November, Musk donated roughly $5.7 billion worth of Tesla shares to an undisclosed charity, a donation that made him the second largest US donor in 2021, behind Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Turkish Parliament Passes Landmark Bill Granting Conditional Amnesty to Disarmed PKK Members
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
A SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon — and Scientists Hope to Watch
Modern Slavery Decisions Broaden the Al Fayed Inquiry’s Frame
FIFA’s Retreat Leaves a Larger Question Over Who Guards the Game
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Arrest Warrant Issued in Lebanon for Tycoon Spotted Meeting Netanyahu in Washington
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
Pentagon Discloses Nearly 100 US Troop Injuries During Renewed Iran Fighting
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Trump Draws Boos and Podium Scrutiny at Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Turkey Explores S-400 Transfer to UAE in Bid to Rejoin F-35 Program
US Retaliates Against Iran After Two American Troops Killed in Jordan
Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards
Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist
Iran Claims It Destroyed Bahrain’s Main Artificial Intelligence Center in Missile and Drone Strike
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
Reported CIA Mission Helped Clear the UAE’s Path to Advanced US AI Chips
Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests
China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost
Gold and Cash Seizure Puts Indonesia’s Senior Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Under Investigation
The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith
Passenger Bound for Germany Refused to Sit Beside a Woman on a Plane — Then Slapped a Flight Attendant
Ukraine’s Leadership Rift Spills Into the Streets as Protesters Target Army Chief
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
×