Tesla CEO Elon Musk has targeted Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla in a sharp social media exchange. Musk called him “dumb” and disputed Khosla’s claims about Argentina’s economic state under its new conservative president, Javier Milei. The argument, which quickly went viral, stemmed from Khosla’s criticism of Milei’s policies, much to the dismay of Musk, a vocal admirer of the Argentinian leader.
Vinod Khosla posted on X, linking President Milei’s austerity programme to economic downturns and likening it to former US President Donald Trump’s policies. “Argentina’s unemployment rate soars to 52% under Mileis dictatorial austerity program. Same will happen under @realDonaldTrump as he slashes spending. His tariffs will simultaneously increase inflation.” Khosla wrote, sharing a Financial Times article about Argentina’s worsening poverty rate.
Musk, a strong supporter of Milei’s libertarian approach, responded bluntly, calling Khosla “dumb” for what he probably deemed a misleading post.
You are dumb
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2024
X’s community notes also fact-checked Khosla’s claims, pointing out that Argentina’s unemployment rate had actually decreased to 7.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, down slightly from the previous period’s 7.7 per cent – far from the 52 per cent unemployment figure Khosla cited.
The exchange escalated when another commenter questioned how Khosla could make such an outlandish claim, writing, “How did Khosla not think this through? A 52% unemployment rate is just absurd; it should have triggered something in his brain to say this doesn’t seem right.”
Musk jumped in with a sarcastic reply, saying, “seriously.”
Seriously
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 29, 2024
Vinod Khosla, refusing to back down, responded directly to Musk’s post. “Poverty is gross underemployment. Too nuanced for macho brains to understand. My nuance vs. your outright posting of false pics? I get a community comment and yours didn’t. I thought you were above this kind of bias at X,” Khosla fired back, accusing Musk of selective bias on the platform he now owns.
Poverty is gross underemployment. Too nuanced for macho brains to understand. My nuance vs. your outright posting of false pics? I get a community comment and yours didn’t. I thought you were above this kind of bias at X. https://t.co/roEVT9mxVI
— Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) September 29, 2024
Meanwhile, a CNN report noted that under President Milei, Argentina’s poverty rate surged to nearly 53 per cent, the worst level in two decades. The country’s economic challenges have left approximately 3.4 million more Argentinians living in poverty in 2024 alone.