Cartoon of the Week: Elon Musk’s tweets are getting him in trouble

Elon Musk seems to be making headlines on Twitter these days. The tech leader is being criticized over his erratic behavior on social media.

Even though he sleeps at the office, works for more than 24 hours straight (don’t ask how he does that), and logs 120 hours a week, Musk seems to find time to tweet regularly. From ‘pedo’ to ‘private’, Musk entertains us with his dad jokes and replies to supporters and critics. Tesla may need his attention more than full time, but he tweets. And tweets. And tweets. His board has even urged him to stop, but hey, you can’t tell a man what to do!

When Musk tried to help the 12 soccer players trapped in a cave in Thailand, British expat Vernon Unsworth called Elon’s move a PR stunt. So Musk called him a ‘pedo guy’, implying that he was a pedophile—otherwise, why would a Brit live in Thailand? He then apologized.

Musk also tweeted out of the blue that he was considering taking his car firm private and confirming that he had already secured the required funds. The Tesla board was unaware of that, and no one reviewed his tweet before he posted it. But weeks later, he dropped the plan.

In the midst of this storm, some questioned his credibility when it comes to his claims of working 120 hours a week. They said the billionaire should reduce his use of social media and focus more on his work. Even entrepreneurs like Warren Buffett don’t think Twitter has helped Elon Musk much, especially after Musk tweeted that he’d start a candy company to compete with Buffett’s See’s Candies.

Musk, of course, has denied these accusations: ‘I think sometimes people think I spend a lot of time in Twitter,’ he told YouTuber Marques Brownlee earlier this month. ‘Actually, it’s like almost nothing. Most of my time is spent…going round the [Tesla] factory…and if I’m not here I’m at the Giga [battery] factory in Nevada.’

Michael Freeman, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California and an expert in the psychological makeup of entrepreneurs, told The New York Times, ‘Entrepreneurs often have a temperament and a constellation of traits that can create enormous value but are also associated with significant risks.’

Some have even suggested that his behavior is an example of psychological imbalance and that his most recent tweets are proof of his self-destructive behavior. That makes one wonder if Musk really has some mental health issues or if he doing this on purpose to craft his companies’ images without spending a dime.

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Brahim Jaouane

I am a Digital Marketing specialist specialized in SEO at eXo Platform. Passionate about new technologies and Digital Marketing. With 10 years' experience, I support companies in their digital communication strategies and implement the tools necessary for their success. My approach combines the use of different traffic acquisition levers and an optimization of the user experience to convert visitors into customers. After various digital experiences in communication agencies as well as in B2B company, I have a wide range of skills and I am able to manage the digital marketing strategy of small and medium-sized companies.