Elon Musk’s relationship with social media is unusual. The billionaire might have bought Twitter, but that doesn’t mean everything he posts deserves a platform. There have been multiple instances where Musk faced significant backlash on his own site.
Many have wondered how Musk finds the time to post online, given his numerous businesses and brief stint in government. That latter role ended after a public feud between Donald Trump and Musk, with both berating each other on their respective platforms, X (formerly Twitter) and Truth Social.
Whether it’s incel behavior or alpha-bro coded “Fight-Me” bravado, some of Musk’s cringiest moments on his own app can only be supported…well, on his own app. From attempting to challenge Mark Zuckerberg to his juvenile humor, there is plenty of cringe to dig from his X timeline.
For example, there was the time Musk took on Swifties. It did not go well.
Musk’s post came after Taylor Swift endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris. While Swift backed Harris, Musk was firmly in the MAGA camp. Swift signed her endorsement on Instagram with the phrase “childless cat lady,” a term previously used by then-candidate JD Vance to describe Democrats.
Musk decided to insert himself into the conversation, which backfired almost immediately. He tweeted, “Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.” Many fans of the now-engaged pop star criticized the post as harassing, and Musk’s estranged daughter publicly labeled the behavior “heinous incel nonsense” on Threads.
Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 11, 2024
Musk has also faced a lot of backlash for his childish humor. Musk often tweets out his amusement with numbers ‘420’ and ‘69’, which are popular memes for the double entendre that they create. Musk’s juvenile attempts at being funny resonate with a small niche audience, while others want the X-owner to pivot from making these jokes.
Final date for removing legacy Blue checks is 4/20
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 11, 2023
Then there was the time he wanted to fight Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. After goading the man on Twitter multiple times, it seems that Musk was not in a position personally to fight Zuckerberg. The latter revealed, “Elon won’t confirm a date, then says he needs surgery, and now asks to do a practice round in my backyard instead.” However, Elon Musk just NEEDED to have the last word. He simply tweeted “Zuck is a chicken” on X.
White, these are far from the only times that the billionaire has decided to test his humor out in public, and more often than not, people just want him to stick to business updates and political commentary.
