Elon Musk continues his downward spiral, becoming less Reed Richards and more Doctor Doom by the day. Musk, who has always presented himself as a forward-thinking intellectual, has come under fire for his views on a range of subjects. His own daughter, Vivian, has hit out against her father for his displays of “sheer and blatant racism.”
It’s no surprise, then, that some of Musk’s former friends have taken a rather dim view on some of the man’s comments and behaviors of late. Sam Harris, an American philosopher, political commentator, and former friend of Musk, delivered a scathing indictment of the South African billionaire on his Making Sense podcast.
The episode discusses Trump’s election win, its implications, as well as lessons the Democratic Party can learn from the defeat. It also dips into Trump’s staff picks, touching on “bully” RFK Jr, and of course, Elon Musk. Harris pulls no punches when it comes to discussing Musk, alleging that he is “snorting ketamine and tweeting at all hours,” and calling his behavior “palpably, visibly deranged.”
Since buying Twitter, now X, Musk has used the platform as his own personal stomping ground. The platform’s value dropped by a whopping $20 billion in the first six months of his ownership, while high-profile users such as Mark Hamill and The Guardian have fled the site for bluer skies.
He’s even come under fire by the Brazilian first lady Janja Lula da Silva, who lashed out at Musk for being a disinformation broker. During the recent U.S. election Musk posted prolifically, amplifying many of Trump’s false and misleading statements using the X platform, with his chaotic, almost frenzied style. It’s quite clear to anyone on the platform that Musk is more interested in using the site as his own personal mouthpiece rather than running it as a successful business.
Musk uses Twitter to respond to any and all slights, whether real or perceived, personal or professional. Predictably, the billionaire was not content to let Sam Harris’s words go without a public response and took to X to air the grievance with the world… in his own lame words.
Musk, who is sensitive to comments regarding his (lack) of intelligence, responded to Harris’s claim that it wasn’t possible to call him “an intellectual” with the ultimate childish clapbacks: I’m not stupid, you are. Calling Harris an “utter idiot” and a “subtard,” across multiple posts and replies, Musk’s response lends credence to his former friend’s words and paints the X owner as anything but an intellectual.
But that’s par for the course with Musk, who picks fights with all and sundry, and regularly engages in juvenile spats and feuds. It seems like his deranged tweeting is just an extension of his usual form, as there are publicized splits in Musk’s own family, as his children distance themselves from their father.
The billionaire’s erratic behavior and his rapid fall from grace certainly do nothing to quell rumors surrounding him, and Harris’s comments will no doubt fuel speculation into whether Musk truly is on a drug-induced spiral. Given the rumors surrounding his new colleagues, it’s not surprising to hear comments about Musk’s own alleged drug use. Whether or not it’s true, the rumor definitely puts his frenetic and “deranged” tweeting into a different light.