Elon Musk, the world's richest billionaire, is not one to shy away from getting involved in controversies.
And that's not only in reference to his sometimes seemingly trivial criticisms of other technology personalities including Amazon (AMZN) -) founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft (MSFT) -) co-founder Bill Gates.
Related: Essential retailer files surprise Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Even when confronting issues of geopolitical importance, including questions as profound as war and peace, the Tesla (TSLA) -) and SpaceX CEO seems eager to join the debate.
In October of 2022 Musk proposed a controversial peace plan that was criticized by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and widely perceived as being pro-Russia.
"Ukraine-Russia Peace," Musk had written on Twitter (now called X), outlining a four-step peace plan.
"Redo elections of annexed regions under UN supervision. Russia leaves if that is will of the people," was the proposed first step.
"Crimea formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783 (until Krushchev's mistake," was the second.
The final two were "Water supply to Crimea assured" and "Ukraine remains neutral."
Ukraine-Russia Peace:
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 3, 2022
- Redo elections of annexed regions under UN supervision. Russia leaves if that is will of the people.
- Crimea formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783 (until Khrushchev’s mistake).
- Water supply to Crimea assured.
- Ukraine remains neutral.
And in September of 2023, the billionaire reacted to a reported excerpt from a new Musk biography by Walter Isaacson. It contained an assertion about how SpaceX's Starlink satellite constellation, which can provide internet access to remote locations, could have had a role to play in September of 2022.
Elon Musk posted to X about that as well.
"There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol," he wrote. "The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor."
"If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation," Musk added.
There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2023
The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor.
If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and…
Musk continues to comment on Zelensky
On Oct. 1, Musk continued to insert himself into the debate about the war by posting a meme that seemed to criticize Zelensky for seeking funds to support his military efforts against the Russian invasion.
A photo of a tense and straining Zelensky was posted to X by Musk.
"When it's been 5 minutes and you haven't asked for a billion dollars in aid," the text of the meme read.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2023
Ukrainian Parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk then replied to Musk on X Oct. 2.
"The case when a dude @elonmusk tried to conquer space, but something went wrong and in 5 minutes he was up to his eyeballs in shit," Stefanchuk wrote.
The case when a dude @elonmusk tried to conquer space, but something went wrong and in 5 minutes he was up to his eyeballs in shit. https://t.co/4SW9dJNJvt
— Ruslan Stefanchuk (@r_stefanchuk) October 2, 2023
Musk's penchant for weighing in on important global controversies, whether in serious proposals or as social media-inspired sarcasm, does get attention.
One Vanity Fair story described a series of international reactions to Musk's comments.
Ukrainska Pravda, a media outlet in the war-torn country, accused Musk of spreading "Russian propaganda." Mykhailo Podolyak, a Zelenskyy adviser, seemed to suggest that Musk can make jokes because he is "thousands of kilometers away from the epicenter of the war" and is not inundated with the sounds of "daily bombardments and the cries of children losing their parents." Grant Shapps, the UK's secretary of defense, likewise called Musk’s anti-Zelenskyy meme "unhelpful."
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty
Get the smart plays to grow your portfolio. Join TheStreet® | SMARTS and take $10 OFF the original price!
