Billionaires Elon Musk and Vinod Khosla engage in fiery debate on X
Musk called Khosla ‘dumb’ over a disagreement on Argentina’s economy.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla found themselves in a fiery exchange on X, with Musk calling Khosla "dumb" during a disagreement over Argentina’s economy.
The argument ignited when Khosla criticized the economic policies of Argentina's conservative president, Javier Milei, a leader Musk has openly admired. Khosla compared Milei’s "dictatorial austerity program" to Donald Trump’s, linking it to rising unemployment and inflation.
You are dumb
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2024
In a now-viral post, Khosla claimed Argentina's unemployment rate had soared to 52% under Milei's rule, warning that similar consequences could occur in the U.S. under Trump. Musk, a vocal supporter of Milei’s libertarian policies, wasted no time firing back, dismissing Khosla's statement.
Community notes on X also stepped in, debunking Khosla’s numbers and clarifying that Argentina’s unemployment rate had actually decreased to 7.6% in the second quarter of 2024, far from the exaggerated 52% Khosla had cited.
The exchange escalated when other users questioned Khosla's reasoning.
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.
— Adam Lowisz (@AdamLowisz) September 28, 2024
Khosla, unwilling to back down, fired back at Musk, accusing him of bias on X.
He defended his original post, claiming poverty stemmed from underemployment, and jabbed at Musk’s selective handling of misinformation.
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
Whose side are you on?
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