Crashed F-35's Software Maker Alleges Smear Campaign By Tesla CEO: 'Elon Musk Isn't Qualified To Lick The Boots Of My Raw Recruits'

A high-profile social media feud has erupted following the crash of a Lockheed Martin LMT F-35 fighter jet in South Carolina.

F-35 Crash: On Sunday, an F-35 stealth fighter jet disappeared in South Carolina, with the pilot ejecting and the aircraft crashing into a wooded area. Debris was found on Monday. The F-35B Lightning II employed the INTEGRITY-178 real-time operating system developed by Green Hills Software.

Origins Of Social Media Battle: Green Hills Software CEO Dan O’Dowd, known for his campaign against Tesla Inc‘s TSLA full self-driving (FSD) software through the Dawn project, is at the center of the controversy. He claims Tesla’s FSD software malfunctions frequently and aims to ban it. 

The F-35 crash is currently under investigation by the Marine Corps, with no identified cause. Rumors of hacking have circulated, with O’Dowd blaming Tesla enthusiasts Omar Qazi and Warren Redlich for the rumors and calling them “pathological liars.”

O’Dowd’s Defense: O’Dowd defended the INTEGRITY-178 operating system’s reliability, citing its high-security rating from the NSA, EAL6+, and his 25 years of experience developing core security software for nuclear weapon systems. 

“INTEGRITY-78 is never at fault. It never fails and can’t be hacked,” he wrote.

He accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of a smear campaign against him and Green Hills Software, alleging that Musk targets those who question his ideas on full self-driving software.

“Elon Musk's smear campaign against me and Green Hills Software is made up of scurrilous lies,” he posted.

Musk’s Response: Musk entered the Twitter battle by agreeing with a user who called O’Dowd’s statement “reckless hubris.” 

Dowd hit back at Musk saying, “So says the guy who bet the company on Full Self-Driving cars that keep trying to kill people.” Dowd added that Musk was not “qualified to lick the boots of my raw recruits.”

The Tesla chief agreed with another user who suggested O’Dowd shouldn’t be taken seriously, as “no serious engineer would make such a blunder, regardless of pride of authorship.”

Why It Matters: Even as the two sides continue to dispute one another, the reasons for the crash continue to astound people. Lockheed Martin terms the jet as the “most lethal, survivable and connected fighter jet in the world” leaving the public to wonder what indeed caused the crash. The crash has also raised doubts about U.S. security capabilities.

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