Elon Musk Recounts Two Recent Death Threats Against Him
Few public figures evoke a more visceral response than billionaire Elon Musk, who is revered by many for his tech innovation, philanthropy and free speech advocacy, but denounced by many others who have deemed him a danger to society.
As the corporate titan explained in a recent interview, the dichotomy surrounding his high-profile persona has at times put his life, and the lives of those around him, in jeopardy.
In 2022, shortly after he bought the social media platform known at the time as Twitter, he shared footage of what he dubbed a “crazy stalker” who had been following a vehicle in which his young son was riding.
The same year, Musk spoke out against those who sought to track and publicize his whereabouts using available flight data.
Threats to his safety have not subsided since then, as he chronicled during his recent conversation with Canadian marketing professor Dr. Gad Saad.
“I can’t easily go to the mall or a movie theater or walk around without creating a ruckus,” he said.
Although most celebrities deal with similar limitations and Musk acknowledged that most of the individuals who approach him in public are friendly, he said that a pair of recent incidents were particularly alarming.
“I have had two cases in the last six months of two people who were just, unfortunately, just very mentally ill — not subtle, it’s not subtle — it’s like, and they have come to Austin to try to kill me with guns,” he said.
Describing one incident involving a person he described as an “extreme schizophrenic,” Musk said: “One guy thought I put a chip in his head, like a Neuralink chip or something. And I’m like, you’ve got to consider the logic of that. Well, the chip is obviously not working if I’m putting a chip in to control him. It’s obviously not working. Would he like an upgrade? Maybe a software update or something?”
The other case also involved an individual struggling with mental health issues, he said.
“He’s actually reasonably OK when he’s on his meds, but he stopped taking his meds and he’s just total detachment from reality,” Musk added.
