Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), has been an active presence on the social networking website for many years now. The billionaire entrepreneur regularly uses his account to discuss whatever is on his mind—whether that be someone he has a problem with, politics, investment markets, business ventures, or just some really random thought—and has a tendency to invite controversy.

A few of his posts are correlated with various asset prices rapidly rising or falling. Others seem to trigger lawsuits and regulatory investigations. But his posts have earned him a pretty big fan club along the way. As of September 2023, Musk is the most followed user on the platform, ahead of Barack Obama and Justin Beiber.

Making Fun of People

Musk is known for lashing out at people on social media, particularly those who cross him. A few days before striking a deal to buy X, Musk mocked Bill Gates by posting a photo of him alongside an emoji depicting a pregnant man. The joke, intended to make fun of Gates' weight, was made off the back of speculation that Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder shorted Tesla (TSLA) stock.

It isn't just high-profile figures that Musk taunts. On one occasion, the man behind Tesla and SpaceX was sued for defamation for calling a diver working to res𝕴cue boys trapped in a cave in Thailand a 'pedo.' Musk made the controversial comment after the diver mocked Musk's proposal to use a mini-submarine crafted out of a SpaceX rocket part to assist in the rescue mission.

Creating Controversy

Musk craves attention and isn't afraid to offend or get in trouble for expressing his opinions. Classic examples include criticizing Democrat proposals to launch a billionaire tax and downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic. Musk spoke out against lockdowns and compared Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Hitler because of his vaccine mandates.

Musk has also come out with some random stuff, presumably with the aim of getting people's attention. In the past, he talked about a desire to nuke Mars and buy Coca-Cola (KO) so that he can "put the cocaine back in."

Sending Cryptocurrency Markets Crazy

Another thing Musk hasn't been able to stay quiet about is 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:cryptocurrency, of which apparently he's a fan. However, Musk is also hugely influential, meaning any time he talks about an investable asset its 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:valuation tends to fluctuate significantly.

In 2021, he professed his love for dogecoin (DOGE) and told the world that it's possible to buy Tesla products with bitcoin (BTC). These declarations led the prices of both assets to soar.

Toying With Tesla's Share Price

It's not just the prices of various cryptocurrencies that Musk has affected with his posts. He's also used the platform to alter how much shares of his company trade for.

In 2018, Musk got into trouble for misleadingly posting t✱hat he was consideri♏ng taking Tesla private after securing the necessary funding. That declaration led Tesla's shares to soar and regulators got angry. The 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Se𓂃curities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused Musk of fraud, hit him with a fine, and ordered him never to post information about the company again without first getting the approval of other Tesla executives and the company's lawyers.

Musk mainly abided but now and then couldn't resist the chance to flout the rules a bit. In 2020, he drove down Tesla's share price by claiming that it was too high. Then, in 2021, he asked his followers if he should sell a 10% stake in the car manufacturer, prompting further action from the SEC.

Discussing X

Musk also had plenty to say about the social media platform over the years. The billionaire has spoken of his admiration for the social networking service in the past, but his comments turned much more negative over time.

Among other things, he criticized X for spending engineering resources on creating 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:non-fungible token (NFT) profile pictures, not making its 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:algorithm public, and not upholding the principles of free speech.

Musk's obsession with the latter began around the time the SEC limited what he could write about. And he claimed that defending free speech was the main reason why he wanted to buy the company. Musk ended up completing the buyout in October 2022 for about $44 billion. The deal was sealed after the billionaire threatened a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:hostile takeover attempt.

The Bottom Line

Musk's often controversial posts have crafted a public image of him as a joker, rebel, freethinker, bully, and sometimes just an avearge guy. Readers' reactions to Musk's comments on X have varied widely. Much of what he posted about before the acquisition has taken place, but not all of it. More changes could still be forthcoming, including making algorithms open source, and new algorithms for monetizing content.