I Didn’t Mean to Become an Enemy of the World’s Richest Man
I never intended to become an enemy of the world’s richest man, but it seems I have managed it all the same. As the man’s cultural influence has grown and he continues to spread lies about me on the social media platform he owns (Twitter/X), it seems only fitting to set the record straight.
I’ve had mixed feelings about describing my falling out with Elon Musk in much detail, but as I’ve observed his behavior on Twitter/X, I’ve come to realize that it’s only fair to share my side of the story. A number of remarkable people I’ve met are likely to remain historical figures, and Elon is no exception. He is also the most likely to squander his opportunities, ruin his reputation, and harm those around him.
I met Elon when he was on the brink of bankruptcy. He had risked his last fortune to make payroll at Tesla and was living off loans from his friends Larry and Sergey. At the time, he wasn’t especially rich or famous. I recall him as a humble and private person, not one who hungered for public attention.
When Elon became famous and his personal wealth grew, I was one of the first friends he called to discuss his growing security concerns. I put him in touch with Gavin de Becker, who provided bodyguards, and recommended other changes to his life. We also went shooting together with the finest firearms instructor I’ve ever met.
Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the virus first invaded our lives in March 2020, Elon began tweeting in ways that I feared would harm his reputation. I worried that his tweets might exacerbate the public-health emergency. Italy had already fallen off a cliff, and Elon shared an opinion with his tens of millions of fans: “the coronavirus panic is dumb.” I sent him a private text, advising him to “walk back his tweet,” which he refused to do. This was the first discordant note struck in our friendship.
As the pandemic worsened, Elon and I continued to exchange text messages. He accused me of being concerned about his reputation, which I responded to by saying I was worried about the harm his tweets might cause. This led to a fun compromise: a bet. Elon bet me $1 million against a bottle of tequila that we wouldn’t see as many as 35,000 cases of COVID in the United States. I offered to spot him two orders of magnitude, confident that we’d soon have 3.5 million cases. Elon accused me of having lost my mind and insisted we stick to his original bet.
As the number of reported cases grew, Elon dismissed the data as merely presumptive, insisting that confirmed cases of COVID were elusive. Eventually, when the CDC reported 35,000 deaths and 600,000 cases in the US, I sent him a text that appears to have ended our friendship: “Is (35,000 deaths + 600,000 cases) > 35,000 cases?” Elon never responded, and it wasn’t long before he began maligning me on Twitter, claiming I was a ‘hypocrite’ for writing a book in defense of honesty and then encouraging people to lie to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. He tagged the incoming president of the United States, and continues to defame me to this day.
I’ve been away from Twitter/X for over two years, but Elon still attacks me, claiming I’m a ‘hypocrite’ for writing a book in defense of honesty. I’ve been accused of lying to defeat Trump, which I have never done. I’ve taken great pains to defend Trump from the most damaging lie ever told about him. Elon knows this, but he simply doesn’t care that he’s defaming a former friend to millions of people.
I’d like to make a wager: 1000 to 1 in favor of Elon’s understanding that anyone who knows us both knows that I am telling the truth. Everyone close to Elon knows he has become increasingly unethical, yet they remain silent. Their complicity is understandable, but it’s also depressing. They know that when Elon attacks private citizens on Twitter/X, he is often causing harm in their lives.
In an absurdity, several of the issues Elon has hurled himself at recently – and even attacked me over – are ones we agree about. We share the same concerns about immigration, the problems at the US-Mexico border, and the “woke mind virus.” We also agree on the evil of the so-called “grooming-gangs scandal” in the UK. However, Elon makes no effort to get his facts straight and regularly promotes lies and conspiracy theories manufactured by known bad actors. He and I even agree on the importance of free speech, but his approach to safeguarding it is unacceptable.
As a dispassionate observer of Elon’s behavior on Twitter/X can see, there is something seriously wrong with his moral compass, if not his perception of reality. There is no excuse for a person with his talents, resources, and opportunities to create so much noise. The callousness and narcissism conveyed by his antics should be impossible for his real friends to ignore, yet they appear to keep silent, perhaps for fear of losing access to his orbit of influence.
Memo to self: I need to accept 1000 to 1 odds in Elon’s favor – I bet that anyone who knows us both knows that I am telling the truth.