Author Joyce Carol Oates calls Elon Musk rude, Musk says he is a lazy liar
Elon Musk and author Joyce Carol Oates, who can be quite provocative with their social media posts, are speaking out loudly. Oats called Musk uncultured while Musk hit back by calling him a liar.
Another day and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has found himself in the butt of a fresh online joke again. This time with famous American writer Joyce Carol Oates, when she called the former CEO uneducated and uncultured. And as usual, Musk, who is not known to ignore any provocation, has hit back, accusing the 87-year-old author of lying and “taking pleasure in bad behaviour”.
Oates’ comments came in response to an ongoing thread on X discussing Musk’s recent post and public image. In his post, the award-winning novelist questioned why the world’s richest man rarely shares moments that reflect common human interests or joys, referencing pets, family, nature, art, books and everyday beauty. Oates suggested that despite his position, Musk appears to be disconnected from the cultural and emotional experiences that many people value. “In fact he seems completely uneducated, uncultured,” he wrote, adding that even the poorest users on the platform can have access to more beauty and meaning in life than “the richest man in the world.”
His comments were based on a broader conversation already taking place on the platform, where netizens were discussing Musk’s digital behavior, particularly after he posted AI-generated videos created using xAI’s Grok Imagine tool. In one video he posted, an AI-generated woman declares, “I will love you forever,” followed by another video featuring a computer-generated version of actress Sydney Sweeney saying, “You’re so grumpy.” Reactions to the posts ranged from surprise to concern, with some users describing them as strangely reflective of sadness or loneliness.
One user replied, “That’s sad, Elon.”
Another user posted, “So heartbreaking, Elon. Sorry you got into this situation. Maybe one day you’ll be reunited with one of your human families.”
Another user replied, “This has to stop. This is not healthy. This is sad.”
Oates, meanwhile, called out Musk and described him as not eccentric or fickle, but intellectually and emotionally weak despite his extraordinary wealth. His remarks also touched on the broader issue of how technology giants, despite their prosperity, are often considered outsiders in the world of arts and culture. After all, Silicon Valley and its people often face criticism that unlike the wealthy in the past, they do not patronize the arts or entertainment of any kind. Instead, they all emphasize technology and business with a single-minded focus.
Meanwhile, Musk, already known for his blunt and sometimes combative answers, did not hold back. “Oates is a liar and enjoys being mean. He is not a nice person,” he wrote, referencing Oates’ post.
Oates’ supporters argued that her comments were rooted in cultural criticism, pointing to Musk’s sporadic and often meme-driven posting style as evidence of a hollow digital persona. However, Musk supporters suggested that the novelist was projecting elitist expectations and dismissing someone who had built companies that advanced technology in electric vehicles, space exploration and artificial intelligence.
