- In an interview with CNBC that aired Tuesday, Elon Musk was asked about his tweeting.
- Musk said he'll say what he wants to say even if it leads to him, Tesla, or Twitter losing money.
Elon Musk said Tuesday he'll continue to tweet whatever he wants even if it hurts his businesses and loses him money.
During an interview with CNBC's David Faber, Musk was asked about why he tweets the way he does. Faber cited tweets of Musk's that appear to support or prop up conspiracy theories, including antisemitic conspiracy theories about Democratic megadonor George Soros, a Jewish Holocaust survivor who is the frequent target of attacks from the right.
Faber pointed to a tweet from Monday in which Musk said Soros "wants to erode the very fabric of civilization" and "hates humanity."
"Yeah, I think that's true. That's my opinion," Musk replied. He also said he was exercising his right to free speech.
Faber asked why Musk continued to tweet such things and share his political opinions even though Tesla customers and Twitter advertisers may not agree with him. Faber also said Musk's tweets have put him "in the middle of a partisan divide in the country" and have led to accusations of being an antisemite and a rebuke from the Anti-Defamation League.
"Soros often is held up by the far-right, using antisemitic tropes, as the source of the world's problems," CEO of the ADL Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted. "To see Elon Musk, regardless of his intent, feed this segment — comparing him to a Jewish supervillain, claiming Soros 'hates humanity' — is not just distressing, it's dangerous: it will embolden extremists who already contrive anti-Jewish conspiracies and have tried to attack Soros and Jewish communities as a result."
"Do your tweets hurt the company?" Faber asked, mentioning both Tesla and Twitter.
After a long pause, Musk said he was reminded of a scene from the 1987 film "The Princess Bride," which he called a "great movie," where the character Inigo Montoya confronts Count Tyrone Rugen, the six-fingered man who killed his father.
"He says, 'Offer me money. Offer me power. I don't care,'" Musk paraphrased from the movie.
"I'll say what I want to say, and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it," he added.
—nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) May 16, 2023
The film, which is based on a 1973 novel by William Goldman — who also wrote the screenplay — features Montoya (played by Mandy Patinkin) as a man driven to avenge his father's death.
He explains that he learned all manner of swordsmanship so that one day he will be prepared to duel the six-fingered man and say: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
When he does confront Rugen (played by Christopher Guest), and is close to defeating him, he famously says, "Offer me money," to which Rugen agrees, followed by, "Power, too, promise me that." Rugen, again, agrees.
But not even the offer of "anything" can sway Montoya, who realizes that there is nothing he wants other than justice, and stabs Rugen, saying, "I want my father back, you son of a bitch!"
It's unclear if Musk, in defending his comments, is comparing himself to the sellsword.
Musk and Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.