London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Elon Musk: I will say what I want even if it costs me

Elon Musk: I will say what I want even if it costs me

Twitter owner Elon Musk has defended his controversial social-media presence, saying he will "say what I want" even if it loses him money.

Mr Musk was responding to accusations of antisemitism on Twitter, after his tweet George Soros "hates humanity" was criticised by the Israeli government.

The tweet was seen as playing into frequently debunked conspiracy theories about the Jewish philanthropist.

But Mr Musk told CNBC he held no antisemitic views.

He also used the interview to call working from home "morally wrong" and criticise technology rival OpenAI.


Trending figures


Soros Fund Management cut back the shares it owned in Mr Musk's Tesla company, in May.

But company founder Mr Soros is a regular target of conspiracy theories by right-wing figures in the US.

And the Israel Foreign Ministry retweeted a post from the country's digital diplomacy director, David Saranga, sharing Twitter trending figures showing more than 27,000 tweets using the term "The Jews" following Mr Musk's post.


Former Labour MP David Miliband, Foreign Secretary under Gordon Brown, called Mr Musk's remarks "totally disgusting" and said he should retract them.

But this was not the only part of the interview to draw criticism.

Mr Musk was also questioned about a tweet in which he asked whether a mass shooting had been part of "a very bad psy-op" - a baseless conspiracy theory.

A "psy-op" - or "psychological operation" - is a military term for actions used to target and influence behaviours.


False claims


Mr Musk's words carry considerable weight.

One of the world's richest and most influential people, he also owns one of its largest social-media platforms - where he has the single biggest account, with nearly 140 million followers.

But in recent months, Mr Musk has increasingly been engaging with false or misleading claims on Twitter.

His remark about the Texas shooting - and Bellingcat, an investigative organisation that reported on it - are the latest in a series of such Twitter engagements by Mr Musk.

Previously, he had repeated misleading claims about:

*  the Capitol riots
*  the Ukraine war
*  extremist groups in the US

While Mr Musk often tries to be careful with the wording of his tweets, he has been more explicit in promoting the false claim the Texas shooter did not have a neo-Nazi ideology and his online profile might have been a "psy-op".

This is despite major news outlets reviewing and verifying the shooter's online profiles and Texas police confirming he had extremist and neo-Nazi beliefs.

Some of Mr Musk's recent tweets have been fact-checked by Community Notes, a Twitter feature that allows users to add context to false or misleading claims via a voting system.

Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Musk also took aim at working from home.

"It's not just a productivity thing," he said. "It's morally wrong." And it was unfair some people, such as baristas or shop assistants, had to attend work in person while others did not.


Artificial-intelligence development


Mr Musk also suggested the way OpenAI had developed technology such as ChatGPT was unsafe.

He said earlier on Tuesday that he was the reason OpenAI existed and in the interview added that he had come "up with the name".

In March, Mr Musk was one of many public figures to sign a letter asking for artificial-intelligence development to be put on hold so safeguards and regulation could catch up.

But the following month, he created rival AI company X.AI.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has not responded to Mr Musk directly but appeared before a Senate Committee on Tuesday calling for AI growth to be regulated.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
×