Tesla CEO Elon Musk has targeted Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla in a sharp exchange on social media. Mr. Musk called him “stupid” and disputed Mr. Khosla’s claims about the state of Argentina’s economy under new conservative president Javier Millei. The controversy quickly went viral, sparking from Khosla’s criticism of Millay’s policies, much to the dismay of Musk, who had been vocal in his praise of the Argentine leader.
Vinod Khosla posted on “Under Milles’ dictatorship’s austerity policies, Argentina’s unemployment rate soared to 52%. The same will happen when @realDonaldTrump cuts spending. His tariffs will simultaneously increase inflation. ” Kosla wrote while sharing a Financial Times article about Argentina’s worsening poverty rate.
Mr. Musk, a strong supporter of Millai’s liberal approach, responded bluntly to what he considered to be a potentially misleading post, calling Mr. Khosla “stupid.”
you are stupid
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2024
X’s community note also fact-checks Kosla’s claims, pointing out that Argentina’s unemployment rate actually fell to 7.6% in the second quarter of 2024, down slightly from 7.7% in the previous quarter. This was a far cry from the 52% unemployment rate quoted by Khosla. .
The exchange escalated further when another commenter questioned how Mr. Khosla could make such outlandish claims, writing: An unemployment rate of 52% is just ridiculous. Something must have been triggered in his brain that didn’t seem right. ”
Musk interjected with a sarcastic reply: “Seriously.”
seriously
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 29, 2024
Vinod Khosla refused to retract and directly responded to Musk’s post. “Poverty is severe underemployment. Too subtle for macho brains to understand. What about my nuances and your posting of blatantly false photos? Although I have received community comments. , I didn’t receive your comment. I thought you were above this kind of bigotry at Company X,” Khosla shot back, adding that Musk is now selective on the platform he owns. He accused her of being biased.
Poverty means severe underemployment. It’s too subtle for my macho brain to understand. What about my nuances and your blatantly false photo postings? I received the community comment, but not yours. I thought you were above this kind of prejudice in X. https://t.co/roEVT9mxVI
— Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) September 29, 2024
Meanwhile, a CNN report noted that under President Milay, Argentina’s poverty rate rose to nearly 53 percent, the lowest level in 20 years. The country’s economic challenges will result in approximately more than 3.4 million Argentines living in poverty in 2024 alone.