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Elon Musk Says It’s “Stupid” To Call Billionaires Bad

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, said on Twitter last Thursday (26) that billionaires are not the bad guys.

Musk tweeted that it is “morally wrong and stupid” to use the word billionaire as a pejorative if that person is using their wealth to create products that make “millions of people happy”.

He added that if he could, he would also get rid of charitable deductions and class action lawsuits.

Musk was responding to a tweet that read: “I feel like billionaires are more benign when they try to make money and more nefarious when they spend it trying to ‘do good’.”

Musk took a poll on Twitter, asking his 95 million followers who they trust least: politicians or billionaires. As of noon on Friday, three-quarters of the 2.8 million respondents said they had less trust in politicians.

He then tagged Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who recently told Bloomberg that she wanted to replace her Tesla with an electric vehicle (EV) made by a company that supports unionization. Musk challenged the Democratic congresswoman to do the same poll with her own followers. Musk has largely opposed Tesla’s unionization in the past.

“A union is just another corporation,” Musk said in another tweet on Thursday, which had gained 4,000 likes as of noon on Friday. “Much better for companies to compete for your skills, so you have as much optionality as possible.”

Musk’s pro-billion-dollar tweets arrived as the World Economic Forum in Davos draws to a close. The annual meeting of millionaires and billionaires has routinely been met with criticism over the failure of the world’s richest people to donate significant amounts to solving the world’s biggest problems – as vulnerable populations across the world must face soaring energy prices. , extreme weather and rising food prices this year.

Gabriela Bucher, executive director of Oxfam International, told CNN Business in Davos this week that governments should tax the wealth of the world’s richest people.

This isn’t the first time that Musk has given his opinion on how billionaires should spend their money. On Monday, David Beasley, head of the UN World Food Program, gave the Associated Press an update on his feud with the billionaire, which was sparked when he said in a 2021 CNN interview that billionaires should strive to fight hunger in the world.

Beasley suggested that $6 billion, or 2% of Musk’s net worth at the time, could help resolve the crisis.

“Musk invested $6 billion in a foundation. But everyone thought this came to us, but we still haven’t received anything. So I’m hopeful,” Beasley told the Associated Press in Davos.

Musk then responded to Beasley, tweeting that he would sell Tesla stock “right now” if the food program could detail how $6 billion would solve world hunger. Beasley then responded with a 1,000-word “executive summary” that mapped out how the UN could use the money to feed more than 40 million people in 43 countries.

WFP did not receive funding from Musk. Although Beasley asked Musk directly for help when speaking to the Associated Press, he said he remains hopeful.
“I don’t know how long it will take,” Beasley said. “We’re trying every angle, you know: Elon, we need your help, brother.”

Last November, Musk donated about $5.7 billion worth of Tesla stock to an undisclosed charity, a donation that made him the second-largest US donor in 2021, behind Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates.

— Julia Horowitz and Jackie Wattles of CNN Business contributed to this text.

Source: CNN Brasil

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