Heat
Tesla CEO Elon Musk attacked George Soros on Twitter Monday night, days after Soros’ investment firm announced that sold out her entire share of Tesla’s actions, in remarks that closely mirror the right-wing conspiracy’s views on the billionaire.
George Soros has been the target of several anti-Semitic conspiracy theories from the right.
Key facts
In what appeared to be an spam tweetMusk wrote that Soros reminded him of the Marvel comic book villain Magneto.
One of Musk’s followers was quick to point out that both Soros and the fictional comic book character were Holocaust survivors and suggested that the billionaire investor and philanthropist had been attacked by people who disagreed with him politically because of his “good intentions”.
Musk responded to the comment by saying that Soros does not have good intentions and wants to “corrode the very fabric of civilization,” ending his remark with “Soros hates humanity.”
Musk’s remarks, especially the latter, were immediately met with pushback a few commentators on Twitter who accused him of repeating anti-Semitic phrases.
Chief critic
David Kaye, former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, tweeted: “Twitter under Musk really brings it: grade school versions of free speech, quisling in the face of government demands, Soros’ baiting of anti-Semitism, 2nd Amendment extremism — and that’s just a sampling.”
Key background
Musk did not explicitly say what prompted his latest outburst against Soros, but it comes just days after Soros’ fund management revealed in SEC Filing he no longer held Tesla stock. The investment firm previously owned $16 million worth of Tesla shares, all of which were sold off during the first quarter of 2023. Tesla wasn’t the only stock cut from Soros’ portfolio, as it also cut through its stake in rival electric vehicle maker Rivian and other tech stocks such as Alphabet and Amazon. Soros, who has been a prolific donor to Democratic politicians and other progressive causes in recent years, has been the target of widespread right-wing conspiracy theories. In a recent interview, Soros fired “Far-out” conspiracy theories against him are being pushed by “some from the right”, after the indictment of former President Donald Trump in the case of silent payments in New York. Soros has denied allegations that he contributed to the campaign of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg—whose office led the investigation into the money laundering.
Big number
11%. That’s the percentage by which Tesla’s stock has fallen in the last month, after an impressive recovery in early 2023.
Tangent
The anti-Soros comments weren’t the only controversial tweets Musk made Monday night. A billionaire too commented “interesting” in response to a blog post by political commentator Richard Hanania, who called for “tough policing, surveillance and incarceration of more black people.”
Further reading
Soros cuts Rivian stake after 90% drop from peak, exits Tesla (Bloomberg)
Billionaire investor George Soros’ fund left its entire stake in Tesla in the first quarter (Business Insider)
Forbes – Business