Elon Musk says he could ‘die in mysterious circumstances’ after showdown with Russia

Andrew Griffin
Monday 09 May 2022 06:51 EDT
Comments
Related video: Elon Musk challenges Vladimir Putin to ‘single combat’

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Elon Musk has talked about “dying in mysterious circumstances” in a cryptic tweet.

“If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya,” he wrote on Twitter.

The post came soon after he shared a post from Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s space agency. In that statement, Mr Rogozin accused Mr Musk of being “involved in supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication equipment”.

“And for this, Elon, you will be held accountable like an adult – no matter how much you’ll play the fool,” he concluded.

Six minutes later, Mr Musk shared the tweet about dying in mysterious circumstances.

Maye Musk, Elon’s mother, responded to his tweet, quoting it and writing “that’s not funny”, alongside two angry emojis.

“Sorry!” Mr Musk wrote in reply. “I will do my best to stay alive.”

He also liked a tweet by Pranay Pathole, an Indian engineer who regularly responds to Mr Musk’s tweets, in which he appeared to express concern for Mr Musk’s safety.

“Elon & his ventures are the reason I wake up every morning filled with hope, optimism, joy, & excitement that humanity has a better future with Elon around,” Mr Pathole wrote. “I’m sure I’m not the only one to wake up with that optimism.

“Take care, Elon. Stay safe. The world needs you.”

Elon Musk and Dmitry Rogozin have sparred throughout the war in Ukraine. They have traded sometimes traded bellicose and often mocking messages about the space industry and Starlink – as well as the war generally, given their status as two of their country’s biggest tweeters.

In March, for instance, Mr Rogozin was the most prominent Russian government official to come to Vladimir Putin’s defence after Mr Musk challenged him to “single combat”. Mr Rogozin mocked Mr Musk for tweeting from the toilet and suggested he was a “little devil”.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in