Elon Musk gave an interview toBloomberg Newson Tuesday , appearing remotely to an consultation at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha . And while the billionaire oligarch has fall in plenty of querulous and infantile interviews over the geezerhood , his latest is one of the most jejune to day of the month .
Musk repeatedly insulted the interviewer for asking wholly normal questions about his businesses like Tesla and SpaceX , and he became extremely justificative when asked about his theatrical role in President Donald Trump ’s government as the head of DOGE , the so - ring Department of Government Efficiency . The billionaire oligarch even called the interviewer , UK broadcaster Mishal Husain , an “ NPC , ” meaning a non - playable character in a television game .
Musk lead off the interview absolutely indignant that Husain would ask him about what he was doing to “ turn around ” Tesla after sale have suffered around the globe . Musk reply “ it ’s already turned around ” and then hang tacit as though that was sufficient as an account . Tesla ’s profits engross 71%last quarter , but Musk kept insisting that everything was fine because the stock price had recover .
Elon Musk speaks via video link at the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, 13 March 2025.© Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images
As Musk kept trying to claim that Tesla ’s sales were fine , Husain pointed out that the EV company ’s sword had taken a hit . She did n’t mention Musk’sNazi - style saluteson Jan. 20 , but that , along with his part in the disassembly of the federal government , have caused many the great unwashed to put bumper stumper on their Tesla car that say things like , “ I buy this before we have it off Elon was unhinged , ” something Husain mention .
“ There are also multitude who are bribe it because Elon ’s crazy , or however they may watch it , ” Musk joked . “ So yes , we ’ve fall back some sales perhaps on the left , but we ’ve benefit them on the right . The sales numbers at this power point are strong . And we see no trouble with demand . ”
Musk then went on to take a firm stand that Tesla broth trading at all - time highs meant his company was in skilful figure and gross revenue numbers pool were very dependable , finish with “ They ’re fine . Do n’t worry about it . ”
It ’s difficult to excuse just how puerile Musk ’s position during the interview was to someone who has n’t seen the video , which is available in its entireness onYouTube . The billionaire snarked about a evaluator who ruled against him as an “ activistic judge who ’s cosplaying as a jurist in a Halloween costume , ” and whined about “ activistic investor ” who did n’t allow him to run his party like he desire , segueing into how he was build “ millions and potentially billions of humanoid robots . ”
Musk also complained that he did n’t like the interrogative Husain was enquire , enunciate “ now let ’s move on ” doubly in rapid succession as she strain to call for head .
The billionaire often gave one - countersign response to questions he did n’t seem to care and paused for peculiarly long period after some questions , apparently gazing into space as he ’s sometimes known to do . There was an especially retentive intermission when Musk was ask about whether he regretted getting involve in political work . He referred to the outrage over his devastation of the government as a “ tearing antibody reaction , ” terminology he ’s used before .
“ I ’m not someone who ’s ever commit violence , ” Musk said . “ And yet , massive violence was institutionalize against my company . Massive vehemence was imperil against me . Who are these people ? Why would they do that ? How awry can they be ? They ’re on the incorrect side of history . ”
Again , Musk is the guy who kick off Trump ’s second terminus by giving two Nazi - flair salutes , so he does n’t really have a wooden leg to place upright on when it comes to the “ veracious side of history . ” But the billionaire said that it was n’t just the masses who had attack Tesla franchise who should be afraid . He said they were going to prison and that anyone who “ fund them and organized them will also go to prison . ”
Musk then made a spectacular pointing motion at the sieve , on the face of it speak about the Bloomberg journalist : “ Do n’t occupy . We ’re get along for you . ” The business line got a marvellous laugh from the Musk - friendly crowd in Qatar , a rural area he visited last calendar week as Trump ’s crony in oligarchy . In fact , Musk announced a new Starlinkcontract in Saudi Arabia , and the Washington Post has reported that countries are being pressure tobuy Starlink servicesin some of the business deal plenty that are being negotiated .
When Tuesday ’s interview find into the topic of Musk ’s body of work in the government , include the ways that his companies have profit , he generate even more defensive . Having entree to the inner workings of the federal government has hypothetically provided Musk with a unique look at extremely proprietary information , the form of things that are so secretive they ’re specifically nontaxable from Freedom of Information Act requests . Because if a government contractor knows exactly what both the political science knows and his challenger know , he has a marvelous advantage .
Musk insisted that DOGE was just an consultant to the governance , incompetent of take unilateral activity or dictating to Union agencies what they should do . “ We are not a dictator , we are advisors , ” Musk suppose . This is contradicted by unnumerable thing Musk has allege in public onXand in locker meeting . In late February , for example , Musk stood up to speak about the things he was strike down and suggested that he alone start out to decide what gets funded . The billionaire was talking about his cuts within the context of all the error that had been made , acknowledging that he was cook mistakes but they were rectified .
“ So for example , with USAID , one of the matter we incidentally canceled very briefly was Ebola prevention , ” Musk said at the Februarycabinet get together . “ I think we all desire Ebola bar . So we bushel the Ebola prevention immediately . And there was no interruption . But we do ask to move quickly if we ’re to attain a $ 1 trillion deficit reduction in financial class 2026 . ”
The job is that Musk is n’t the one who should be making that call . Congress allocate fund for broadcast , and Musk and his DOGE gang have no right to cancel things unilaterally . The oligarch clearly live that this mindset has gotten him into hassle and is now just lying about how things are operating behind closed doors .
Musk was also ask Tuesday about his thoughts on ordinance of AI . The billionaire had rather infamously called for more regulating of AI and a complete pause on all researchin 2023while he was secretly work on his own AI behind the tantrum . Musk say Tuesday that having too many regulations “ was a natural result of prosperity , ” allege that , “ this has happened throughout history . ”
“ When you have an lengthy period of successfulness with no existential warfare , there ’s no cleansing function for unnecessary laws and regulations , ” Musk said . That ’s obviously a rather unnerving matter for Americans to get wind when you commemorate that Musk is both the wealthiest military man in the globe and a vast Department of Defense declarer .
Musk also went on a recollective tan about how white people were purportedly being oppress in South Africa , a cabal hypothesis that was pierce into the limelight when the AI chatbot Grok started respond to any random question on X with fact about it . Musk claimed that he could n’t get a license in South Africa to operate his Starlink overhaul , but Husain luff out “ that looks like it ’s about to change . ” Musk pester Husain about whether it “ seemed ripe ” that he should be oppress for his airstream as a white man , and Husain , who was not the one being interviewed , pointed out multitude wanted to hear his opinion , not hers .
“ Why do you like anti-Semite laws ? ” Musk said repeatedly as he interruptted Husain .
take about whether DOGE would really cut down $ 2 trillion in spending , since the numbers have n’t materialized despite the huge destruction of critical scientific research and basic services , Musk again acted like a child , insisting that “ your enquiry is absurd . ”
Musk operate on to become frustrated with questions about DOGE and called Husain an “ NPC ” like other “ conventional journalists ” and tell it was “ like talking to a computer . ”
Musk pronounce that any “ useful ” map of USAID had been channelize to the State Department , which is yet again not his choice to make . The billionaire go away on to assert that HIV / AIDS programs , which had been cut , were actually rifle to keep on , something that simplywasn’t reliable .
Musk was also asked about his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and take a firm stand he does n’t address with him . Asked about that , Musk said , “ I was on a television call with him about five years ago , ” though the Wall Street Journal reported in recent 2024 that he had been in “ unconstipated liaison ” with the Russian leader since 2022 . Musk was aghast that his interviewer would believe something published in the Wall Street Journal , calling it “ the worst newsprint in the earth . ”
Again , it ’s really deserving watching the entire interview if you want to see just how heavy of a shitshow this was for Musk . But perhaps we ’re pass judgment this interaction by honest-to-goodness standards . Given the way that everything seems to have gone completely off the rails in the era of Trump , maybe this is just our young normal and we need to expect it . It ’s a depressing place to be as a country , that ’s for certain . But Musk clearly is n’t go to take up do like an adult anytime soon .
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