Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a mystery wrapped in a puzzle concealed within an enigma. From naming his baby with a bizarre string of characters to his wannabe Bruce Wayne lifestyle, the South African native is a love-him-or-hate-him kind of guy.
But being the richest man in the world puts a different frame around Musk. He is regularly praised by conservatives and aspiring millionaires, and lambasted by those who see him as a billionaire villain.
And just like Donald Trump, Elon Musk regularly uses his social media presence to deliver outlandish and offensive messages. That’s what he did today in an exchange with Democratic Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.
The backstory is a meme that has been circulating about Musk since he tweeted a complaint about being taxed under a proposed hike for the ultra-rich. His statement that the government would “come for you too” quickly sparked responses from people telling him they had been “paying taxes this whole time.”
That embarrassment culminated in Musk explaining that he doesn’t pay much in taxes because he doesn’t take a salary or benefits — his money is mostly in gains, not “income.” In order to pay taxes on that money, he said, he would have to sell stocks, which would then have an actual sale value and become income.
Musk then tweeted a poll, which asked his followers if he should sell his stock so that he would be taxed. It got more than 3.5 million replies, and nearly 58 percent of respondents said yes:
Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock.
Do you support this?
— Lorde Edge (@elonmusk) November 6, 2021
Noting the poll — and notably disgusted by it — Senator Wyden retweeted it from his own account, commenting that taxing billionaires should not be subject to how popular it is to do so.
Whether or not the world’s wealthiest man pays any taxes at all shouldn’t depend on the results of a Twitter poll. It’s time for the Billionaires Income Tax. https://t.co/KFHw3VZ45H
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) November 6, 2021
Musk was unamused.
In a truly offensive response meant to take aim at Wyden for “getting excited” at the prospect of taxing billionaires, Musk tweeted a d*ck joke back at him.
Why does ur pp look like u just came?
— Lorde Edge (@elonmusk) November 7, 2021
It should be noted that Senator Wyden’s “pp” is not visible in his Twitter profile picture.
One hopes that eventually, billionaires who hoard the world’s wealth to the point that they could never possibly spend everything they have will understand they owe society. One also hopes that the billionaires of the future act a little older than a schoolboy.
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