- Kyle Chua
Looking for Elon: Billionaire Uncharacteristically Silent on Twitter Since Last Week
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk hasn’t tweeted in a week, an uncharacteristic move that left many of his avid followers worrying about his health and safety.
The tech billionaire seems to have taken an abrupt hiatus from the platform since 21 June. With the exception of a few likes on 22 June, he’s been mysteriously silent for more than a week now. Business Insider points out that he’s been active on the microblogging platform daily, publishing at least one tweet each day, since 1 May.
Historically, the often outspoken Musk would announce to the public when he would take a break from Twitter. In June 2020, he told his millions of followers that he would be off the platform for a while after the birth of his son. He would, however, return only four days later.
As of writing, this was Musk's last tweet:
What’s particularly mysterious about this sudden hiatus is that it comes amid Musk’s plan to buy out Twitter for US$44 billion. He currently holds a nine percent stake in the company, which he’s allegedly been using as leverage to secure a better deal. This pushed some stakeholders to try and block his takeover proposal, with some even filing formal complaints in court. But just as Musk seemed to be finally closing in on his bid, with Twitter’s board last week urging investors to vote in favour of the deal, he went silent.
Perhaps even more bizarre is that he was absent on the platform for his 53rd birthday on Tuesday, close to the same time his account surpassed 100 million followers. No one knows for sure why he abruptly left, prompting many of his followers to wonder about what he’s been up to or if he’s alright.
If Johnna Crider, a reporter for renewable energy-focused site CleanTechnica, is to be believed, Musk is completely fine. Crider in a tweet said she interviewed him at the Tesla factory in Texas on 26 June, noting that he’s been dedicated to Tesla and SpaceX.
Crider’s claim seems to line up with the timing of Tesla’s closure of one of its California offices and the layoff of over 200 of its autopilot employees on 28 June. According to Bloomberg, the move was likely an effort by Musk to reduce the operating costs of the company as the world braces for economic troubles. Musk previously said he had a “super bad feeling” about the economy and would cut about 10% of Tesla’s workforce.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk hasn’t tweeted in a week, an uncharacteristic move that left many of his avid followers worrying about his health and safety.
His absence comes amid ongoing talks regarding his proposal to buy out Twitter for US$44 billion.
Reporter Johnna Crider who recently said she interviewed Musk assured the billionaire's followers that he's "safe and healthy".