Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk faced tough questions about his public image. He turned the criticism back on journalists instead. The billionaire spoke with The Economist’s editor-in-chief during a wide-ranging interview covering politics, immigration and his reputation, especially regarding his X followers.
Elon Musk cited his X followers before insisting journalists are more disliked than he is
Musk sat down with Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, for an interview covering several topics. These included his mixed-race children as evidence against racism claims, warnings about a possible civil war in the UK over immigration, and his work running the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump.
The conversation shifted when Beddoes raised the subject of how people view him. “I mean some people do loathe you,” she said. Musk agreed but claimed indifference. Beddoes pressed further, asking whether he understood why, and whether his actions helped or hurt Western democracy.
Rather than address the question, Musk pointed to his X account of 241 million followers as proof that people actually liked him. “Maybe some people do loathe me, and that’s probably true. I don’t care,” Musk said. “But the fact that, as you pointed out, a quarter billion people follow me, is that I think a lot more people actually like me than don’t.”
He then redirected the conversation toward journalists and the media. “I think a lot more people hate you, and the media, more than you realise,” he said. “Do you realise the media is despised? Do you realise that journalists… the view of journalists is, like, a favourable view of journalists is like 15 per cent.”
Musk insisted the criticism aimed at him should instead apply to reporters. “The shoe is on the other foot. They hate you. They hate you far more than they hate me,” he said. The exchange followed Beddoes challenging Musk’s alleged support for right-wing European political parties and questioning why his wealth and platform ownership should give him influence over politics outside the United States. Beddoes acknowledged that trust in journalism had declined but argued that polarization on social media, including content promoted on X, made the problem worse.
