Topline
Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, took a stab at musician Billie Eilish’s intelligence after she used a recent award acceptance speech to criticize billionaires for accumulating wealth, called him “pathetic” and shared ideas on her Instagram story for how Musk could charitably redistribute his $470 billion net worth.
Billie Eilish, Elon Musk and Maye Musk at the 2022 Met Gala.
Gilbert Carrasquillo
Key Facts
In a tweet Monday night, Musk replied to a post on X about Eilish’s most recent attacks by writing, “She’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.”
His comment came after Eilish posted a series of Instagram stories last Thursday that started with a re-share of posts about Musk from abortion-access activist group My Voice, My Choice.
The group’s post called Musk a trillionaire, likely in reference to a recent $1 trillion pay package approved by Tesla shareholders that could make him a trillionaire within a decade (he is currently worth slightly less than half of that, according to Forbes estimates).
It went on to suggest his wealth could be used to end world hunger, save endangered species and rebuild Gaza after the massive destruction it faced during the Israel-Hamas war.
The final slide posted to Eilish’s Instagram story featured text on an all-black background calling Musk a “F**king pathetic p***y b***h coward.”
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Key Background
Eilish has spent the last several weeks publicly slamming billionaires. Earlier this month she used her acceptance speech at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards to question why the mega-rich have allowed their wealth to accumulate and encourage billionaires to “use (their money) for good things and give it to some people that need it.” In a room that included billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and George Lucas, she said, “Love you all, but there’s a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you are a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but give your money away, shorties.” Eilish’s comment led to quiet laughter and applause, according to People magazine, which also reported that an unnamed “eyewitness in the audience” said Zuckerberg did not clap along with the rest of the room.