The richest man in the world had words of advice for Taylor Swift on Twitter (Elon’s version), and her fans are not amused.
Musk responded to Taylor’s tweet to Time magazine’s Sam Lansky for her 2023 Person of the Year interview. “Congrats,” the CEO of X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote.Twitter: @elonmuskThen, he followed up the tweet with, “Some risk of popularity decline after this award. I speak from experience, lol.”Elon received the same honor in 2021 for influence in “solving the globe’s most intractable challenges” as the “man who aspires to save our planet and get a new one to inhabit.”
Since then, the Tesla and SpaceX founder has been at the center of controversy after controversy, which is possibly “the decline” he referenced in the tweet to Taylor.
The most recent example of Elon’s antics involves when he told companies who paused their ad buys on X to “Go fuck yourself,” something he reiterated at the New York Times DealBook Summit.
Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images for The New York Times
This all came about after he endorsed an antisemitic theory on the X platform and went back and forth with the Anti-Defamation League.
According to Time, the designation is not an award but who had significant influence “for good or for ill.” In years past, dangerous world leaders, political figures, and controversial figures have received this designation.
Theo Wargo / Getty Images for TIME
Elon’s warning to Taylor might be unnecessary, considering her influence might not fall within the same categories as the wealthiest man in the world.
James Devaney / GC Images
Surprisingly, this isn’t even the first time Elon’s tweets got him in hot water with Taylor’s fandom. In October, he was dragged for sending a “delusional” tweet recommending she release her music and concert videos on his social media platform.Pool / Getty Images, James Devaney / GC Images