Elon Musk has never been one to shy away from expressing his opinions, and he recently pushed back against a reporter’s question about criticism directed at him and the media.
During a recent video interview with The Economist, the billionaire SpaceX and Tesla founder was asked whether he was aware that “some people do loathe” him. Musk, who has attracted controversy over his views on topics ranging from politics to artificial intelligence, acknowledged around the 6:14 mark of the interview that it was “probably true” that some people feel that way.
Musk was also questioned about whether his activity on social media is “helpful for Western democracy.” In response, he pointed to his large following online, saying:
“The fact that, as you pointed out, a quarter billion people follow me is that I think a lot more people actually like me than don’t. And I think a lot more people hate you and the media more than you realize.”
The 55-year-old then turned the question toward The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes, asking whether she understood that “the media is despised.”
“Do you realize that journalists, the view of journalists, is like, it’s like a favorable view of journalists is like 15 percent. So the shoe is on the other foot. They hate you. They hate you far more than they hate me,” Musk said.
After Beddoes acknowledged that trust in media professionals has declined, Musk argued that journalists are “loathed far more” than he is and claimed they are widely “hated.”
On X, the platform he owns, Musk has promoted the idea of citizen journalism. However, critics have pushed back on that viewpoint, accusing the entrepreneur of using the concept to dismiss or suppress reporting he disagrees with.
