Tesla CEO Elon Musk Spends His Free Time Attacking Journalists on Twitter

Most people would assume that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk would be extremely busy attempting to manage multiple companies effectively, but Musk still finds the time to attack journalists critical of his work on Twitter.

Slate recently published an article titled “Elon Musk Needs to Stop Tweeting Things He Can’t Prove,” which followed Elon Musk’s latest attacks on journalists critical of his companies via Twitter. Through a series of Tweets, Musk went on what Slate described as a “veritable Twitter rampage” aimed at Business Insider journalist Linette Lopez.

Musk took issue with Lopez’s reporting on his electric car company, Tesla, claiming that she has “published several false articles” about the company including a claim that Tesla scrapped more batteries than their total Model S, Model X and Model 3 production number, which Musk claims is impossible.

@lopezlinette has published several false articles about Tesla, including a doozy where she claimed Tesla scrapped more batteries than our total S,X &3 production number, which is physically impossible.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2018

An alleged Tesla investor who goes by the name “S Padival” on Twitter claimed that Lopez’s reporting changed following a meeting with American investment manager Jim Chanos, who has long been one of Tesla’s biggest short-sellers. Musk said this was “sketchy if true” and then asked Lopez directly if she was working as an insider trading source for Chanos, an incredibly loaded claim to make towards a journalist:

Sounds very sketchy if true. @lopezlinette, is it possible you’re serving as an inside trading source for one of Tesla’s biggest short-sellers? An ex-Tesla employee just went on record formally claiming you bribed him & he sent you valuable Tesla IP in exchange. Is this true?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2018

Musk then asked Lopez if she compensated Martin Tripp, a former Tesla employee currently being sued by the company, for her interview with him in which he revealed a number of details about Tesla. Tripp has also claimed that Musk is “at war with him” over his leaks relating to Tesla.

Indeed, very simple question. To be specific: @lopezlinette, did you compensate or promise to compensate Martin Tripp for inside information about Tesla? Did he, under that inducement, provide you with exaggerated negative info, which you printed, but turned out to be untrue?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2018

Musk then attacked Lopez for stating that she “saw eye to eye” with Chanos, asking if she had ever provided him with “non-public information about Tesla.”

.@lopezlinette You stated publicly that you “see eye to eye” with Chanos, the most prominent short-seller of Tesla. Have you ever provided him with material non-public information about Tesla?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2018

Musk attacked Lopez’s objectivity due to a previous tweet in which she stated her admiration of Chanos:

So @lopezlinette publicly stated she stans for Chanos, Tesla’s most prominent short-seller. In her words, he is “one of the greatest.” Her articles print Chanos’s view verbatim. This is not journalism.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2018

The U.S. Editor-in-Chief of Business Insider, Alyson Shontell, stated that Business Insider does not compensate sources for information that the publication stands behind Lopez’s reporting. Musk was not satisfied with this and further pressed the Business Insider editor:

Are you 100% certain that @businessinsider stands by @lopezlinette & supports everything she’s done? Why won’t Lopez go on record saying that she never offered Tripp anything for inside info or asked him to break his confidentiality agreement by taking detailed video of Tesla IP?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2018

Slate described Musks’s “harassment of Lopez” as “obsessive and deranged” stating that his actions should “worry every shareholder of any company where he serves as CEO.” Slate ends their article stating:

Musk needs to immediately stop tweeting about things he cannot prove. But more importantly, he needs to grow up, fast. He’s the CEO of a $50 billion corporation, and I’ve seen toddlers with more maturity. Lopez is a very, very tough reporter, but the hate and vitriol she’s going to receive in the coming days and weeks from Musk’s army are going to be extremely nasty. Musk knows that, and it’s why he’s bullying her in this manner. If he can’t stop trolling on Twitter, his shareholders should tell him to get off the platform entirely. After all, it’s not like he doesn’t have three different companies to run.

While Musk has been busy attacking journalists via Twitter, the submarine that he has been touting as a possible solution to rescuing the football team trapped in a cave in Thailand may not make it to the cave on time. Musk stated on Sunday that his mini-submarine would reach the area around 11 p.m. on Monday stating in a tweet: “Mini-sub arriving in about 17 hours. Hopefully useful. If not, perhaps it will be in a future situation.”

Eight of the twelve boys trapped in the cave have been rescued as of Monday according to the Associated Press:

BREAKING: Ambulance with flashing lights seen leaving Thai cave complex hours after latest operation to rescue trapped boys began.

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 9, 2018

Whether Musk’s submarine will be of any use is yet to be seen.