economie

Inside Elon Musk’s burn book — the non-exhaustive list of billionaires he’s fought with in 2024

June 26, 20240
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a net worth of $181 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Alex Wong via Getty Images

Cage match, anyone?

In June 2023, Musk challenged Mark Zuckerberg to a fight following reports that said Meta was building a rival to X.

“I’m up for a cage match if he is lol,” Musk said in an X post on June 20, 2023.

“Send Me Location,” Zuckerberg responded via an Instagram story the next day.

Zuckerberg launched his text-based social media platform, Threads, a month later. The fight with Musk didn’t see as much progress, with both parties publicly cooling on the idea in one way or another.

Musk appeared to backtrack on the fight, saying in August that he would need to undergo “minor surgery” for some older injuries. This was after he’d claimed that the fight would be live-streamed and would take place at an “epic location” in ancient Rome.

Zuckerberg brushed aside Musk’s proposed cage match last year, but Musk hasn’t forgotten about the fight. In fact, he’s brought it into 2024.

“If only Zuckerberg were as tough (sigh). I’ve offered to fight him any place, any time, any rules, but all I hear is crickets,” Musk said in an X post on May 15, a day after Zuckerberg celebrated his 40th birthday.

Representatives for Zuckerberg didn’t respond to a request for comment from BI for this story.

OpenAI chief Sam Altman
“Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban is worth $7.46 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.

Allen Berezovsky via Getty Images.

Billionaire Mark Cuban is no stranger when it comes to getting caught in Musk’s crosshairs.

Cuban has feuded with Musk on multiple topics, ranging from their differing views on corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion to their opinions on President Joe Biden.

“Mark Cuban is desperately trying to signal his ‘virtue’, but his hypocrisy convinces no one,” Musk said on X in January after Cuban voiced his support for corporate DEI initiatives.

At one point, Musk called Cuban a “racist” in an X post for backing DEI. He later deleted the post.

In March, Musk threw a jibe at Cuban after the “Shark Tank” star said he’d vote for Biden even if the president “was being given last rites.“

“‘If Biden were a flesh-eating zombie with 5 seconds to live where, upon being re-elected, Earth would plunge into a 1000 years of darkness, I would still vote for him.’ — Mark Cuban,” Musk wrote in an X post.

Cuban, however, doesn’t seem too bothered by Musk’s jabs.

“I have fun sparring with Elon. He likes to troll and so do I,” Cuban told BI. “I have no issues with him.”

Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott
Melinda French Gates is worth $13.3 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.

Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

In June, Musk ripped into Melinda French Gates after she gave her first presidential endorsement to Joe Biden.

“Might be the downfall of western civilization,” Musk said in an X post on June 20.

Musk isn’t exactly a fan of French Gates’ ex-husband, Bill Gates, either. The Tesla CEO was furious when he learned that Gates had shorted Tesla’s stock, as detailed in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Musk.

“How can someone say they are passionate about fighting climate change and then do something that reduced the overall investment in the company doing the most? It’s pure hypocrisy,” Musk told Isaacson.

Shortly after he’d turned down a philanthropic opportunity with Gates, Musk took to X to share a meme that compared the Microsoft founder to the pregnant man emoji.

“In case you need to lose a boner fast,” Musk said on April 22, 2023.

Representatives for Gates and French Gates didn’t respond to requests for comment from BI.

OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla is worth $7.7 billion, according to Forbes.

Steven Ferdman via Getty Images

Unlike most of the billionaires on this list, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla fired salvos at Musk first.

“With @elonmusk, feels like a bit of sour grapes in suing @OpenAI, not getting in early enough, not staying committed and now a rival effort,” Khosla, an OpenAI investor, said on X in March, while referencing Musk’s AI startup xAI.

“Like they say if you can’t innovate, litigate and that’s what we have here. Elon of old would be building with us to hit the same goal,” Khosla added.

“Vinod doesn’t know what he is talking about here,” Musk replied.

But Khosla wasn’t done. Days later, he gave Musk — a frequent poster and reposter of memes — a taste of his own medicine when he posted a meme ridiculing xAI.

Representatives for Khosla didn’t respond to a request for comment from BI.