7 Times Elon Musk Wasn't Afraid To Speak His Mind

Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk has made some bold statements in his time — some of which have gotten him into legal trouble. Here are seven times the electric vehicle renaissance man opened his mouth and got the Street's attention, beginning with his outburst on this week's first-quarter earnings call. 

Bay Area’s Shelter-In-Place Order ‘Fascist’

From the start of the coronavirus outbreak, Musk has downplayed the danger. "Coronavirus panic is dumb," he tweeted in early March.

Within weeks, he began to express resentment about the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place orders. 

“To say that they cannot leave their house and they will be arrested if they do, this is fascist. This is not democratic, this is not freedom, give people back their god---- freedom,” he said on the company’s first-quarter conference call Wednesday. 

The rest of his statement was more explicit.

Prior to the call, he had tweeted “FREE AMERICA NOW” and said the scariest part of the pandemic was not the virus itself, but how easily Americans “bow down & give up their blood bought freedom to corrupt politicians who promise them safety."

‘Pedo Guy’

Musk triggered a defamation lawsuit in 2018 after calling British cave diver Vernon Unsworth a “pedo guy” during the rescue of the Thai soccer team. Unsworth had drawn Musk’s wrath after criticizing Tesla’s efforts to contribute to the mission.

“I thought he was just some random creepy guy,” the Tesla CEO said at trial. Musk argued that “pedo guy” is a common South African insult, and he ultimately won the trial. 

‘Ask Questions That Are Not Boring’

In a 2018 analyst call, Musk censured analysts for asking “boring, bonehead questions” and inquiries into Model 3 reservations that “are not cool.”

“These questions are so dry,” he said. “They're killing me."

‘Shortseller Enrichment Commission’

In 2018, Musk jabbed the SEC during a spat over his tweet about taking Tesla private — an ordeal of its own.

“Just want to [say] that the Shortseller Enrichment Commission is doing incredible work. And the name change is so on point!” he tweeted. He later added: "Why would they be upset about their mission? It's what they do."

A few months later, he suggested that “Something is broken with SEC oversight.”

'He Is Literally The Worst Person I've Ever Worked With'

That’s what Musk told The Third Row Tesla Podcast about Tesla's founder and first CEO Martin Eberhard. And it wasn’t his first critique.

"Tesla is alive in spite of Eberhard, but he seeks credit constantly & fools give it [to] him," Musk tweeted — and then deleted — in 2019.

Eberhard said the attacks violate a mutual non-disparagement agreement.

Bill Gates Is ‘Underwhelming’

Musk wasn’t thrilled when Gates revealed in February that he drives a Porsche Taycan.

“My conversations with Gates have been underwhelming tbh,” he tweeted.

Zuck Doesn’t Know AI

In 2017, Facebook, Inc. FB CEO Mark Zuckerberg rebuked Musk for his “irresponsible” warnings against artificial intelligence. Musk used few words to dismiss his AI-advocating peer.

“I've talked to Mark about this. His understanding of the subject is limited,” Musk tweeted.

Public domain photo via Wikimedia.