Pushing Boundaries or Crossing Lines
Elon Musk's latest Twitter stunt certainly raised some eyebrows. The guy is known for his edgy humor, but joking about the assassination of the President and VP? Pushes it a bit much, even for him.
https://img.inleo.io/DQmdPJgCkFeDW51AbtcxoqXuiHmwcVV95ujmmxLdqky34Xs/elon-musk-7159200_1280%202.webp
I get it, Musk likes stirring the pot.
It's part of the whole maverick billionaire schtick, but when you're sitting on billions of dollars' worth of government contracts, maybe it's time to dial it back a notch.
Here's the thing, Musk isn't some guy sending off tweets from his mom's basement. He's got his fingers into some pretty serious pies. SpaceX does stuff for the military, for NASA, you name it. Talking spy satellites, missions to the moon, the works.
That's heavy-duty stuff.
But then he starts cracking wise about offing political figures. It's not a bad joke, people begin to wonder if he's really the right guy to be trusted with all that sensitive info. I mean, imagine the uproar if some mid-level bureaucrat made that same 'joke'. They'd be out on their ear faster than you can say "security clearance revoked".
But Musk? He deletes the tweet, mutters something about context, and it's business as usual. Where's the double standard?
Remember that whole Twitter, excuse me, "X" takeover he did? The guy let every Tom, Dick, and Harry back onto the platform, conspiracy theorists, political firebrands, all sorts. Like he's trying to make it more Wild West in here.
Now, I am all for free speech, but when one is playing in the big leagues of government contracts and national security, perhaps one needs to give a second thought before hitting the tweet button.
The business ties he has with China also concern some people. He has that factory in Shanghai for Tesla and does not restrain himself from being all over their tech scene. It's got people wondering where his loyalties lie. Is he putting America first, or is he more concerned with keeping Beijing happy?
Not that I don't think Musk companies haven't done some cool stuff, electric cars, reusable rockets are all great. But the man himself? He's starting to look like a bit of a liability.
The presidency already partners with SpaceX on launching spy satellites, the government may want to take into consideration how much more dependence they want on a Musk company.
Perhaps it is time for a little more oversight for him, a few more checks and balances. Just to make sure all that classified information isn't being treated as casually as he treats his Twitter feed.
Musk really seems to operate as if he feels so untouchable that he can say anything, no matter the repercussions or consequences. In matters of national security, however, that is a very dangerous game to play.
The Secret Service and FBI have likely taken a closer look at Musk's online antics. And, honestly? They should, When somebody that influential starts making jokes about political assassinations, time to start paying attention.
There's also the concern that Musk's rhetoric might incite a few of his more enthusiastic fans to do something stupid. Times are politically tense at the moment. The last thing we really need is more fuel to add to that fire.
What's the bottom line? Musk has to grow up a bit.
He is no longer just some kind of tech bro, he's a major player in real, serious industries. It's time he began to act that way.
Not saying he should become some sort of dull corporate drone, but a little bit of personality is alright. It's cool, perhaps, but save the edgy jokes for the group chats, not his Twitter feed. The world is changing, and we have to figure out how to deal with these new age billionaires that have an enormous following and an impact far greater than your average CEO. When one guy controls rockets, cars, and social media, that changes everything.
Musk's groupies may think of him as some kind of real-life Tony Stark, but he needs to remember, "with great power comes great responsibility." And right now? He's looking a bit more like a loose cannon than a superhero (no offense intended).
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
What's the joke?
its all over the Internet so I assumed everybody would know. You right I didn't include that in the blog.
He made a tweet and in a humourous way was wondering why it seems Trump is the only one who seems to be getting these assassination threats and not Kamala or Joe Biden.
In a couple of minutes later he deleted that tweet and said he was joking.
#cent
OH!. Well, damn. I didn't know that. Makes way more sense now, thanks. For someone the world puts on a pedestal, weird Musk's the only who doesn't know why they got Trump in the crosshairs.