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Top Ten Reasons to Hate Elon

  • Writer: Dylan Walker
    Dylan Walker
  • Feb 20
  • 14 min read


Musk Hater
Musk Hater

$400-ish billion. Quite the nest egg for a guy who can't seem to stop making enemies. Elon Musk has mastered the art of being filthy rich while being universally despised.


Picture this: Our boy Leon's sitting on a fortune bigger than what 165 million Americans own combined. Meanwhile, his corporate empire reads like a horror novel - Tesla factories that would make Victorian workhouses blush, Neuralink turning monkey brains into mush, and that awkward moment when a SpaceX flight attendant revealed his equestrian-themed sexual proposition. Spoiler alert: She wasn't looking for riding lessons.


Sure, he can crash Bitcoin with a single tweet (RIP crypto bros' dreams), but that's just the appetizer. We've got receipts - cold, hard proof of why people's hatred for Musk runs deeper than his Twitter shenanigans. Buckle up for 10 delightful reasons that'll make you wonder if having more money than God comes with a complimentary moral bypass surgery.



Image Source: Newsweek
Image Source: Newsweek

Remember when Musk promised his USD 44 billion Twitter acquisition would create "the platform for free speech around the globe" [1]? Yeah, that aged like milk in a desert.


The $44 Billion Acquisition Drama

The takeover turned into a corporate slasher film real quick. Musk went full Game of Thrones, beheading executives left and right, starting with CEO Parag Agrawal [1]. His grand vision for the platform? About as clear as mud, leaving users wondering if they'd signed up for a misinformation party [1].


Mass Layoffs and Employee Treatment

Talk about a corporate bloodbath. Musk took Twitter's cozy workforce of 7,500 and carved it down to a skeleton crew of 2,000 [25]. The Trust and Safety team? Decimated by 85% [25]. Because who needs safety when you've got "extremely hardcore" vibes? Hundreds more employees took one look at Musk's workplace cult manifesto and said "thanks, but no thanks" [1].

Content Moderation Changes

Musk's content policy makeover looked something like this:

  • Hate speech? More like free speech!

  • COVID misinformation? Let it rip

  • State-controlled media labels? Too restrictive

  • Trust and Safety Council? Sayonara [1]

Impact on Platform Trust

The platform integrity took a nosedive faster than Twitter's stock price. Harassment jumped to 27% from 21% in just a year [27]. Here's a fun stat: Twitter ignored 99% of hateful tweets from their precious Blue subscribers [27].

The cherry on top? Musk banned journalists tracking his private jet [1] - because nothing says "free speech champion" quite like silencing reporters. Major advertisers like GM and Pfizer took one look at this circus and moonwalked right out [25].



Image Source: The Texas Observer


Welcome to Tesla factories, where workplace safety is about as optional as turn signals on a BMW. The Austin Gigafactory's stellar record? One in every 21 workers got injured in 2022 [3]. Because nothing says "future of transportation" quite like medieval workplace standards. Leon's efforts to defund OSHA are making more sense to you now?


Safety Concerns at Tesla Factories

The Austin facility's highlight reel reads like a horror movie script. Picture this: A "deactivated" robot goes full Terminator on an engineer, pinning him against a wall and leaving a blood trail [3]. Not dramatic enough? How about the worker who got front-row seats to an explosion that turned the metal casting area into a impromptu fireworks show [3]. And for the grand finale - contractors doing their best impression of falling dominos, complete with fractured bones and punctured lungs [3].

Union Busting Allegations

Tesla's union-busting tactics would make a 1920s factory boss blush. Musk's brilliant idea? Tweet that workers would lose stock options if they unionized - spoiler alert: that's illegal [28]. The company even banned union T-shirts [28], because apparently, fashion choices are more threatening than workplace injuries. Naturally, they picked Texas - a "right to work" state - for their new factory [3]. How convenient.

Discrimination Lawsuits

The EEOC uncovered Tesla's Fremont facilities' greatest hits from 2015 onwards [12]. The platinum album includes:

  • Black employees getting a daily dose of racial slurs (free of charge!)

  • Racist graffiti artists treating everything as their canvas - desks, bathrooms, even the cars

  • Workers facing retaliation for checks notes opposing harassment

  • Management mastering the art of looking the other way [12]

Worker Compensation Issues

Tesla's approach to worker injuries? Gaslight, gatekeep, GoFundMe. They've pressured doctors to change diagnoses faster than Musk changes his Twitter profile pic [5]. Just ask Bill Casillas, whose electrical injury magically disappeared from Tesla's records [5]. Workers ended up crowdfunding their medical bills - because nothing says "tech innovation" quite like begging online for healthcare [5].

The cherry on top? Tesla self-insures the first USD 750,000 of each claim [5]. It's like letting a fox guard the henhouse, if the fox also owned the farm and wrote the safety regulations.



Image Source: CNN


2020: The year COVID-19 terrorized the world, and Musk decided to play amateur epidemiologist. Spoiler alert: It went about as well as trying to cure a hangover with more tequila.


Downplaying Pandemic Severity

March 2020: While doctors fought to save lives, our resident genius declared COVID would be "negligible" by April [29]. He graduated to sharing vaccine conspiracy theories faster than you can say "misinformation" [29]. Nothing like using your 34-million-follower megaphone to play Russian roulette with public health [30].

Defying Health Orders

Tesla's Fremont plant saga was peak Musk. Called stay-at-home orders "fascist" (because apparently saving lives is tyranny), then threatened to throw a tantrum and move to Texas/Nevada [30]. The cherry on top? Reopened the factory anyway, giving Alameda County's health orders the corporate middle finger [30].

His greatest hits included:

  • Suing Alameda County (because lawyers beat viruses, right?)

  • Forcing workers back like it's business as usual

  • The classic "stay home if you're scared" manipulation

  • Threatening officials who dared enforce public health laws [30]

Employee Health Impact

Tesla's "safety measures" were about as effective as a chocolate teapot. Workers at Fremont got front-row seats to the spread: "One day somebody is sick... next day 3 to 4 guys around him vanish into thin air" [12]. Stay home scared of COVID? Here's your termination notice [30]. Social distancing? Optional. Equipment sanitation? What's that? [12]

The body count? Over 100 positive cases, 1,000+ exposed [12]. Musk's pearls of wisdom to SpaceX workers? "You're more likely to die in a car crash than COVID" [31]. Because nothing says leadership quite like comparing a global pandemic to traffic accidents.



Image Source: Reuters


Meet Elon Musk, AKA Leon Skum, AKA Captain Elmo: The world's most expensive Twitter troll, turning social media into his personal casino where markets dance to his keyboard strokes.


Cryptocurrency Price Impact

A Manhattan court tossed out a USD 258 billion lawsuit about Musk's Dogecoin shenanigans [14]. Apparently, pumping a meme coin's value by 36,000% in two years is just good clean fun [15]. He crowned himself "Dogecoin's CEO" and promised to launch actual Dogecoin into space - because nothing says legitimate currency like shooting it into orbit [14].

Tesla Stock Controversies

Remember that time Musk tweeted "funding secured" about taking Tesla private at USD 420? The stock shot up USD 20 faster than you can say "market manipulation" [16]. Some poor souls actually believed him - one investor turned USD 18,000 into USD 13,000 with this one weird trick [17]. Spoiler: The trick was trusting Elon.

SEC Violations and Fines

The SEC's relationship with Musk is spicier than a telenovela:

  • A USD 40 million oopsie over those Tesla privatization tweets [16]

  • Playing hide-and-seek with USD 150 million in Twitter share disclosures [18]

  • Getting a corporate babysitter to review his tweets [19]

The Twitter stock drama? Classic Musk. Waited 11 days too long to disclose his position [18]. His broker waved red flags like a matador in February 2022, but our boy kept buying shares like they were Tesla merch [18].

The SEC's latest lawsuit claims his delayed disclosure was about as innocent as a fox in a henhouse [20]. Musk's response? Called them a "weaponized institution doing political dirty work" [20]. Because nothing says innocence quite like accusing your regulators of conspiracy.



Image Source: Teslarati


Tesla: The company that promised to save Earth while its CEO burns jet fuel like it's going out of style. Let's peek behind the green curtain, shall we?


Private Jet Usage

Meet Musk's USD 70 million flying contradiction - a Gulfstream jet that racked up 200 flights in one year [21]. This metal bird spewed 2,500 tons of planet-heating emissions faster than you can say "climate crisis" [22]. Your average American household? A measly 50 tons annually [21]. Our eco-warrior burned through 221,358 gallons of jet fuel in 2022, creating 2,112 metric tons of carbon emissions [3]. Because nothing says "save the planet" quite like a private jet addiction.

Bitcoin Mining Impact

Then there's Musk's crypto circus. Bitcoin mining gobbles more electricity than Sweden and Malaysia combined [23]. Tesla eventually pulled the plug on Bitcoin payments, clutching pearls about "rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels" [23]. Plot twist: Coal powers 45% of Bitcoin's energy buffet [24]. Shocking, right?

Tesla's Environmental Trade-offs

Tesla's supply chain dirty laundry includes:

  • A whopping 30.7 million tons of carbon dioxide from supply chains [25]

  • Direct emissions jumping 4% in 2022 (oops!) [25]

  • Battery production eating energy like teenagers raid fridges [26]

Tesla admits their ESG numbers might be off by 50% [27]. Sure, their cars helped dodge 8.4 million metric tons of emissions in 2021 [3], but meanwhile, Tesla's own carbon footprint keeps growing like a teenager's shoe size. Critics aren't buying the green gospel - they're calling it what it is: greenwashing [28].



Image Source: CNBC


Turns out running multiple companies isn't Musk's only talent - he's also mastered the art of creating toxic workplaces that would make HR professionals cry themselves to sleep.


SpaceX Settlement Details

SpaceX coughed up USD 250,000 in hush money to a flight attendant in 2018 [5]. The settlement came with more strings attached than a puppet show - non-disclosure clauses, non-disparagement agreements, the works [5]. Eight brave SpaceX employees dared to challenge the "unlawful conduct" and got their walking papers [29]. Musk's executive decision? "Fire them" - because nothing says leadership quite like shooting the messenger [29].

Tesla Workplace Culture

The EEOC pulled back Tesla's Fremont curtain and found a horror show [30]. Black employees got served a daily menu of racial abuse with a side of stereotypes, starting 2015 [30]. The greatest hits included:

  • Racial slurs flying around like confetti at a hate parade

  • Graffiti artists practicing their hate speech on equipment

  • Production lines doubling as harassment zones

  • Whistleblowers getting special treatment (spoiler: not the good kind) [30]

One factory worker's lawsuit described 100 harassment incidents in two years, including a stalker colleague [31]. Tesla's response? Opened their checkbook and hoped it would go away [31].

Pattern of Behavior

The creep factor spans companies like Musk spans industries. One SpaceX engineer claims he tried turning exit negotiations into a dating service [6]. Another employee's brief relationship with him ended in a text-and-email temper tantrum [6]. Six women at Tesla alone decided they'd had enough and lawyered up [5].

When HR suggested maybe, just maybe, they should investigate harassment claims before firing people, Musk's response was peak Musk: "I don't care, fire them" [32]. The Labor Board later ruled these firings illegal [32], shocking absolutely no one with a functioning moral compass.



Image Source: New Lines Magazine


Democracy's favorite billionaire has discovered a new hobby: playing political puppet master while conveniently forgetting his government allowance.


Government Subsidies Hypocrisy

The same guy who whined about federal EV funding built his empire on USD 4.90 billion in government handouts [33]. Tesla gobbled up a USD 465.00 million Energy Department loan [34], while SpaceX and SolarCity feasted at the public funding buffet [35]. Nothing says "free market champion" quite like mainlining taxpayer money.

Political Statements Impact

X (Twitter's midlife crisis rebrand) has become Musk's personal political playground, reaching 210 million users [4] with his hot takes that make conspiracy theorists look reasonable. His greatest hits include:

  • Cheerleading for Germany's AfD party (because who doesn't love a neo-Nazi connection?) [4]

  • Tossing £100 million at Nigel Farage's Reform UK (Brexit wasn't messy enough) [4]

  • Dropping USD 250.00 million in Trump's reelection tip jar [7]

International Relations Issues

Our boy's gone from selling cars to selling chaos through his public discourse empire [36]. He's even rigged X's algorithm to blast his brain burps to millions [4], because subtlety is for poor people.

Mid-2024's British anti-immigrant riots? Brought to you by X's misinformation express [4]. Macron's warning about unchecked billionaire power [7] fell on deaf ears, while Greece's Health Minister called Musk's behavior "troubling and far from amusing" - the political equivalent of "Sir, this is a Wendy's" [7].

Technically legal but morally bankrupt, Musk's apparent mission to fragment the EU [36] makes more sense when you realize he treats European regulations like speed limits in a Tesla - mere suggestions to be ignored [36].



Image Source: Reuters


Welcome to Neuralink, where monkey minds meet mad science, and animal welfare takes a backseat to Musk's brain-chip dreams.


Monkey Testing Allegations

UC Davis spilled the tea on Neuralink's primate party. Price tag? USD 1.40 million to play brain surgeon with monkey skulls [37]. The horror show peaked in September 2018 when surgeons thought using unauthorized brain glue was a brilliant idea. Spoiler alert: It wasn't. One female macaque got paralyzed and collapsed faster than Musk's crypto promises [38]. The autopsy revealed BioGlue had turned her cerebrum into a pressure cooker, complete with ulcers and internal bleeding [38].

USDA Complaints

Uncle Sam's agriculture watchdogs came sniffing after whistleblowers reported Neuralink's speed-running approach to animal testing [39]. The body count?

  • 1,500 animals sent to the great beyond since 2018

  • 280+ sheep, pigs, and monkeys checking out early

  • More do-overs than a rookie surgeon's first day [39]

The cherry on top? USDA caught them playing fast and loose with the Animal Welfare Act in 2019 - unauthorized surgeries included [40].

Ethics Concerns

Neuralink's oversight board makes a rubber stamp look strict. Their animal research committee? More conflicts of interest than a family-run casino [41]. The FDA found their record-keeping about as organized as a toddler's toy box [42].

Meanwhile, actual scientists at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine suggested wild ideas like:

  • Helping paralyzed folks without drilling holes

  • Controlling robotic arms without monkey sacrifices

  • Letting people talk to computers without brain surgery [37]

Neuralink's defense? "Everyone tests on animals!" [43]. Tell that to the monkeys who survived their brain makeovers only to face post-surgical nightmares through 2020 [38]. Some violations never made the reports - buried deeper than their policy loopholes [40].



Image Source: The Washington Post


Love, marriage, and baby carriages - except this fairy tale comes with divorce papers and names that look like WiFi passwords.


High-Profile Breakups

Two marriages to Talulah Riley ended in divorce [44] because apparently one wasn't enough to learn his lesson. Then came Amber Heard, leaving our tech titan in "severe emotional pain" [9]. His brother Kimbal cracked the code: Elon "falls in love with these people who are really mean to him" [13] - shocking insight there, Sherlock. Current score: 12 kids with three women, including a trilogy with Grimes [45], who eventually lawyered up for parental rights [45]. Because nothing says "modern family" quite like court petitions.

Naming Controversies

Remember when normal baby names were too mainstream? Enter "X Æ A-12" [46], the name that made California bureaucrats question their career choices. The state had thoughts:

  • Only boring old English letters allowed on birth certificates [47]

  • No numbers or fancy symbols (sorry, Prince) [46]

  • Final compromise: "X AE A-XII" - still weird, just legally weird [48]

Grimes helpfully explained: X means "unknown variable," Æ is "love or artificial intelligence," and A-12 is their favorite aircraft [47]. Because nothing says "I love you, son" like a mathematical formula crossed with an airplane model.

Public Behavior Impact

Plot twist: Being Twitter's chaos agent affects your car company. A whopping 83% of Americans see Tesla and think "that Musk guy" [10]. His favorability dropped faster than Dogecoin prices - 42% unfavorable versus 34% in April 2022 [10]. Potential customers like Christian Page are voting with their wallets: "don't want to put a single penny in that man's pockets" [2].

Even the true believers are struggling. Climate activist Kat Beyer bought a Model Y but admits "it's hard to drive the car associated with him" [2]. Marketing experts, masters of understatement, note "it is hard enough to win sales without getting into politics" [2]. No kidding, Sherlock.



Image Source: Truthout


USD 203.00 billion [49]. That's enough to buy everyone on Earth a decent cup of coffee, but Musk would rather play hide-and-seek with the IRS.


Billionaire Tax Issues

Here's a math problem: How do you turn USD 13.90 billion in wealth growth into just USD 455.00 million in taxes? Ask Musk - he managed a neat 3.27% tax rate between 2014-2018 [50]. The cherry on top? Zero federal taxes in 2018 [50]. His secret sauce? The "buy-borrow-die" loophole - borrowing against stocks instead of selling them [11]. Because paying taxes is for peasants.

Government Subsidy Benefits

Watch Musk perform his greatest magic trick - railing against government handouts while stuffing his pockets with them:

  • Tesla snagged a USD 465.00 million Energy Department loan [8]

  • New York dumped USD 750.00 million into SolarCity's Buffalo adventure [8]

  • SpaceX pocketed USD 15.00 million in Texas subsidies [8]

By 2015, Team Musk had hoarded USD 4.90 billion in government goodies [8]. Tesla alone has gobbled up USD 9.00 billion in regulatory credits since 2018 [51]. Nothing says "free market champion" quite like mainlining taxpayer dollars.

Wealth Display Criticism

Musk's Tesla compensation package was so outrageous it made other CEO packages look like pocket change. Shareholders sued [49], and Delaware's Chancery Court called foul on the sweetheart deal cooked up by his boardroom buddies [49].

The ultimate plot twist? Tesla's now sweet-talking the Treasury about the Inflation Reduction Act, eyeing USD 250.00 million quarterly from battery credits [52]. Critics wonder why we're still bankrolling a billionaire who treats public funds like his personal piggy bank [53].

Musk's Greatest Hits: A Tragedy in Ten Acts

The Crime

The Plot

The Numbers

The Damage

The Receipts

The Legal Smackdown

Twitter Takeover

Turned social media into a dumpster fire

Axed 5,500 workers; gutted 85% of safety team

Harassment up 6% (because who needs safety?)

Banned journalists for tracking his jet

Failed to stop 99% of Blue-checkmark hate tweets

Tesla's House of Horrors

Welcome to the injury factory

1 in 21 workers got hurt (Austin's finest!)

Racism became company culture

Robot went Terminator on engineer; explosions for funsies

NLRB and EEOC took turns finding violations

COVID Chronicles

Played pandemic expert on Twitter

100+ workers caught COVID; 1,000+ exposed

Reopened factory like plague was optional

Threatened to take his toys to Texas

Sued county for daring to protect public health

Market Puppet Master

Tweeted his way to SEC's most wanted

Pumped Dogecoin 36,000% (not suspicious at all)

One tweet = $20 Tesla stock surge

"Funding secured" (Narrator: It wasn't)

$40M fine; SEC's favorite pen pal

Green Tech Theater

Private jet enthusiast saves Earth

2,500 tons of emissions from flying solo

30.7M tons of supply chain oopsies

Burned 221,358 gallons of jet fuel for fun

Tesla's emissions up 4% (it's opposite day!)

Workplace Creep Show

Harassment: A company tradition

$250K to keep quiet

6 women said "enough" at Tesla

Flight attendant got horse proposition

EEOC investigation; NLRB said "nope"

Political Puppet Show

Twitter turned propaganda machine

210M users get Musk's hot takes

Sparked riots in Britain (achievement unlocked)

Dropped $250M in Trump's tip jar

Algorithm manipulation investigation

Neuralink's Guinea Pigs

Monkey see, monkey die

1,500 animals checked out early

280+ animals joined the great beyond

Monkeys got brain glue surprise

USDA came knocking

Personal Circus

Serial relationship entrepreneur

12 kids, 3 moms, infinite drama

42% of America says "yikes"

Named kid after WiFi password

Grimes took him to court

Tax Dodge Master

Billionaire's guide to not paying taxes

Paid 3.27% while you paid 30%

Grabbed $4.9B in government candy

Zero taxes in 2018 (high score!)

Court called Tesla package "too rich"

Note: All numbers are real, unlike Musk's promises


Conclusion

Congratulations! You've just completed your "Why Elon Musk Is Actually The Worst" speedrun. Let's recap our journey through this billionaire's carnival of chaos.


Remember when we thought this guy was Tony Stark? Plot twist: He's more like a tech bro who stumbled into a fortune and decided playing supervillain looked fun. Tesla factories cosplay as injury festivals while he tweets about freedom. His "free speech" platform bans journalists faster than you can say "ElonJet." SpaceX throws hush money at harassment claims while he manipulates markets with emoji-filled tweets. And don't forget the government handouts he pockets while screaming about socialism.


The fallout? Tesla's brand is about as popular as a mosquito at a barbecue. Twitter's bleeding advertisers like a hemophiliac papercut. Neuralink's turning monkeys into unwilling brain-chip beta testers. Meanwhile, his employees get front-row seats to the greatest show on Earth: mass layoffs, discrimination, and safety standards that would make a Victorian factory owner blush.


Here's the moral of our story, kids: Give someone enough money and power, and they'll show you who they really are. Musk chose profits over people, ego over ethics, and Twitter trolling over actual leadership. Sure, he's still the world's richest person, but that's like being the smartest Kardashian - the bar's not exactly stratospheric. His legacy? A cautionary tale about what happens when we mistake wealth for wisdom and tweets for truth.


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