From Ola's Bhavish Aggarwal to Tesla's Elon Musk — When CEOs let loose online
Oct 11, 2024, 17:07 IST
On Sunday, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal made headlines for his X (earlier called Twitter) spat with comedian Kunal Kamra. The public feud quickly gained attention and people started taking sides. Soon, the internet was divided and while some people started voicing their own customer service issues with Ola, others supported Aggarwal.
But was this the first time that a popular businessman indulged in a war of words on a social media platform? Not really. There have been instances before where CEOs of top companies took their spats to the public. Let us take a look at some incidents.
Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal vs Kunal Kamra
As mentioned already, the spat between Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and comedian Kunal Kamra set social media abuzz recently. It all began when Kamra shared a photo of Ola scooters gathering dust at a dealership, criticising the company’s service. Tagging government officials, Kamra’s tweet highlighted concerns about Ola’s product support.
Aggarwal, in response, accused Kamra of making a “paid tweet” and took personal digs at the comedian’s career. He challenged Kamra to work with Ola to improve services, offering to pay him more than what he supposedly earned from comedy. Kamra shot back, sharing clips of his stand-up shows and calling Aggarwal “arrogant.” He also challenged the CEO to offer refunds to unsatisfied customers.
Aggarwal dismissed the comedian’s challenge and invited Kamra to “do some real work” at Ola’s service centres. The heated exchange quickly went viral, dividing public opinion. Some accused Aggarwal of arrogance, while others advised him not to engage in online arguments.
In March 2024, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the organisation of straying from its original mission and prioritising profits for Microsoft. OpenAI, led by Altman, responded by releasing emails from 2015-2018 in which Musk could be seen backing the creation of a for-profit arm within OpenAI, even suggesting merging OpenAI with Tesla.
Musk’s lawsuit centred on claims that OpenAI has compromised its ethical goals in favour of commercial interests. He argued that the company’s current trajectory is contrary to the spirit of its founding, where the emphasis was on the ethical development of AI rather than maximising profits. Altman, on the other hand, has been vocal about the importance of balancing innovation with sustainable business practices.
Adding another layer to the dispute, Altman shared an old conversation on X (formerly Twitter) where he had stood by Musk during a challenging period for Tesla in 2019. This exchange underscored the deep history between the two tech giants, now embroiled in a public and legal feud.
OpenAI also escalated the tension by refuting Musk’s claims and releasing a blog post that contained Musk’s emails. These messages showcased Musk’s apparent support for the very business model he now criticises. The battle between the two innovators was not only legal but personal, and it reflected the broader debate on the role of AI in society.
Last year, tech enthusiasts were treated to an unusual spectacle—a possible cage fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. The back-and-forth began after Meta announced plans to launch Threads, a competitor to Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). In a characteristic jab, Musk took to X to mock Zuckerberg’s new platform, to which Zuckerberg, an avid jiu-jitsu practitioner, responded by suggesting a real fight.
What began as light-hearted banter quickly escalated, with Musk proposing a cage fight in the Vegas Octagon, a famous venue for UFC matches. Musk even teased about a special move he dubbed “The Walrus.” Zuckerberg, ever ready to engage, accepted the challenge and offered to livestream the fight.
Despite the hype, the fight never materialised, though the two continued to trade verbal blows online. Musk claimed he was lifting weights to prepare, while Zuckerberg, in typical tech-banter style, suggested they use a “more reliable platform” for the livestream, implicitly questioning X’s stability.
Though the cage fight talk eventually fizzled out, the saga highlighted the competitive and sometimes playful rivalry between two of tech’s most powerful figures.
Anupam Mittal and X user
In another online confrontation, Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal found himself in a Twitter spat after a user compared the show to the popular soap opera Sasural Simar Ka. Mittal, who had questioned whether Twitter was becoming the new Quora, received a cheeky response from a user claiming Shark Tank was the new Sasural Simar Ka.
Mittal’s reply—“oh good for you since you clearly watch both”—was met with another quip, as the user admitted to watching both shows and only realising the value of quality after consuming “sub-standard stuff.” The exchange echoed earlier criticisms of Shark Tank India’s second season, which some viewers felt had become overly dramatic, much like reality TV.
Mittal had previously earlier a dig at former Shark Tank judge Ashneer Grover, promising that the new season would be free from the toxicity and harsh insults that had characterised Grover’s tenure.
Advertisement
But was this the first time that a popular businessman indulged in a war of words on a social media platform? Not really. There have been instances before where CEOs of top companies took their spats to the public. Let us take a look at some incidents.
Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal vs Kunal Kamra
As mentioned already, the spat between Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and comedian Kunal Kamra set social media abuzz recently. It all began when Kamra shared a photo of Ola scooters gathering dust at a dealership, criticising the company’s service. Tagging government officials, Kamra’s tweet highlighted concerns about Ola’s product support.
Aggarwal, in response, accused Kamra of making a “paid tweet” and took personal digs at the comedian’s career. He challenged Kamra to work with Ola to improve services, offering to pay him more than what he supposedly earned from comedy. Kamra shot back, sharing clips of his stand-up shows and calling Aggarwal “arrogant.” He also challenged the CEO to offer refunds to unsatisfied customers.
Aggarwal dismissed the comedian’s challenge and invited Kamra to “do some real work” at Ola’s service centres. The heated exchange quickly went viral, dividing public opinion. Some accused Aggarwal of arrogance, while others advised him not to engage in online arguments.
Advertisement
Elon Musk vs Sam Altman
In March 2024, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the organisation of straying from its original mission and prioritising profits for Microsoft. OpenAI, led by Altman, responded by releasing emails from 2015-2018 in which Musk could be seen backing the creation of a for-profit arm within OpenAI, even suggesting merging OpenAI with Tesla.
Musk’s lawsuit centred on claims that OpenAI has compromised its ethical goals in favour of commercial interests. He argued that the company’s current trajectory is contrary to the spirit of its founding, where the emphasis was on the ethical development of AI rather than maximising profits. Altman, on the other hand, has been vocal about the importance of balancing innovation with sustainable business practices.
Adding another layer to the dispute, Altman shared an old conversation on X (formerly Twitter) where he had stood by Musk during a challenging period for Tesla in 2019. This exchange underscored the deep history between the two tech giants, now embroiled in a public and legal feud.
OpenAI also escalated the tension by refuting Musk’s claims and releasing a blog post that contained Musk’s emails. These messages showcased Musk’s apparent support for the very business model he now criticises. The battle between the two innovators was not only legal but personal, and it reflected the broader debate on the role of AI in society.
Advertisement
Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg
Last year, tech enthusiasts were treated to an unusual spectacle—a possible cage fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. The back-and-forth began after Meta announced plans to launch Threads, a competitor to Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). In a characteristic jab, Musk took to X to mock Zuckerberg’s new platform, to which Zuckerberg, an avid jiu-jitsu practitioner, responded by suggesting a real fight.
What began as light-hearted banter quickly escalated, with Musk proposing a cage fight in the Vegas Octagon, a famous venue for UFC matches. Musk even teased about a special move he dubbed “The Walrus.” Zuckerberg, ever ready to engage, accepted the challenge and offered to livestream the fight.
Despite the hype, the fight never materialised, though the two continued to trade verbal blows online. Musk claimed he was lifting weights to prepare, while Zuckerberg, in typical tech-banter style, suggested they use a “more reliable platform” for the livestream, implicitly questioning X’s stability.
Though the cage fight talk eventually fizzled out, the saga highlighted the competitive and sometimes playful rivalry between two of tech’s most powerful figures.
Advertisement
Anupam Mittal and X user
In another online confrontation, Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal found himself in a Twitter spat after a user compared the show to the popular soap opera Sasural Simar Ka. Mittal, who had questioned whether Twitter was becoming the new Quora, received a cheeky response from a user claiming Shark Tank was the new Sasural Simar Ka.
Mittal’s reply—“oh good for you since you clearly watch both”—was met with another quip, as the user admitted to watching both shows and only realising the value of quality after consuming “sub-standard stuff.” The exchange echoed earlier criticisms of Shark Tank India’s second season, which some viewers felt had become overly dramatic, much like reality TV.
Mittal had previously earlier a dig at former Shark Tank judge Ashneer Grover, promising that the new season would be free from the toxicity and harsh insults that had characterised Grover’s tenure.