Twitter boss Elon Musk sat down for an interview with CNBC and schooled the network’s hack reporter on free speech.
CNBC’s David Faber grilled Musk on why he feels the need to speak freely on social media.
Faber argued that some may be offended by Musk’s criticisms of radical billionaire George Soros and Democrat President Joe Biden.
He continued by claiming that Musk’s options are impacting those who invest in his businesses.
Musk said during an interview that he does not care about the potential negative business consequences of publicly disseminating his views on Twitter.
During the interview, Faber noted that Musk recently tweeted about George Soros.
“Soros reminds me of Magneto,” Musk wrote.
Magneto is a villainous character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men.
In another tweet, Musk added that Soros “wants to erode the very fabric of civilization” and “hates humanity.”
You assume they are good intentions. They are not. He wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2023
Faber asked Musk why he would share his opinion when Tesla buyers and Twitter advertisers may disagree.
Musk appeared confused by Faber’s perspective and cited his freedom of speech.
Faber pressed the issue, noting that such comments place Musk in the thick of the nation’s “partisan divide” and make him a “lightning rod for criticism.”
The CNBC host also noted that some people have accused Musk of being an anti-Semite.
However, Faber quickly noted that he does not believe that to be true of Musk.
Musk rejected the charges of anti-Semitism and suggested that he’s “like a pro-Semite, if anything.”
Faber mentioned the possibility that Musk’s tweets could hurt business interests, suggesting that Tesla owners may disagree with Musk’s political views.
He also argued that Twitter could be unable to get some advertisers due to Musk’s tweets.
At that point, Musk sat silently for more than 10 seconds, apparently mulling over how he would respond.
After the lengthy silence, Musk made a reference to the popular 1987 film “The Princess Bride” in order to explain his thinking on the issue.
He referred to a scene in the film where a character confronts the man who killed his father.
In the movie, the character Inigo Montoya bests the other man in a sword fight and then tells the man to offer him money, promise him power, and offer him everything he asks for.
The other man agrees but then makes a move against Montoya who stabs him and declares that he wants his father back.
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“Offer me money. Offer me power. I don’t care,” Musk said, impersonating Montoya.
Faber appeared stunned and asked Musk if he doesn’t care about losing money.
After another long pause, Musk declared:
“I’ll say what I wanna say and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it.”
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