News of Elon Musk's twins with top executive at one of his companies elicits a mix of jokes, support, and criticism on social media
- Some of Elon Musk's fans and critics took to Twitter over news he quietly fathered a set of twins.
- Insider first reported on Wednesday that a Neuralink executive had given birth to Musk's twins in November.
After it was revealed Elon Musk had quietly fathered a set of twins with an executive of one of his companies, fans and critics of the billionaire took to social media.
The news appeared to gather some support from Republican lawmakers and Tesla superfans. Others made jokes about Musk's large family, and some voiced concern about what the CEO's behavior could mean for female employees.
"Big Short" investor Michael Burry appeared to diss Musk's response to the news.
Others made jokes.
"$200 billion seems like a massive fortune until you realize that each of @elonmusk's 10 billion children will only inherit $20," @WholeMarsBlog, a EV news account that often promotes Musk, tweeted in a reference to Musk's networth which is currently valued at $214 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index.
The news of Musk's relationship with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis comes after Insider reported in May that SpaceX paid a company flight attendant $250,000 to stay quiet after she alleged that Musk exposed himself and propositioned her for sex, even offering to buy her a horse in exchange.
In a response to the Insider report on Twitter, Musk appeared unfazed by the news.
Several people compared Musk to Nick Cannon. The rapper and TV host has seven children with five different mothers. Cannon responded to a Musk tweet about, telling the CEO that he was "Right there with you my Brother!"
While some made jokes about Musk's penchant for fathering children, others struck a more serious note.
"More confirmation of a totally normal and healthy workplace for women," Lindsey Boylan, a former aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo, tweeted. She was the first woman to speak out against Cuomo in the sexual harassment scandal which ultimately ended in his resignation.
Some users compared Musk's behavior to Bill Gates. Last year, the Microsoft founder resigned from the company's board following an investigation in an extramarital affair with a Microsoft employee.
Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin criticized the media for reporting off of court records.
Some users criticized Musk's parenting style. In the past, Musk has said he doesn't have much involvement in his children's lives until they get older.
Meanwhile, some Tesla superfans praised Musk for taking his concerns related to declining birth rates so seriously.
Several Republican politicians appeared to praise Musk as well.
Several major CEOs have been ousted for engaging in relationships with subordinates. In 2019, McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook was dismissed after it was revealed he'd had a consensual relationship with an employee. Similarly, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigned in 2018 over a consensual relationship with a staffer.