Facebook co-founder and Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz has called for the resignation of Tesla CEO Elon Musk after Musk agreed with an antisemitic post on Twitter. The controversy erupted when Musk responded to a post accusing Jewish groups of “hatred against whites” calling it the “actual truth.” This exchange led Moskovitz to publicly state that Musk should resign from all of his positions in various companies, including SpaceX and X, formerly known as Twitter.
This incident generated swift backlash against Musk, with Tesla investor Ross Gerber announcing plans to replace his Tesla Model Y with a Rivian due to Musk’s comment. Wavelength cofounder Marc Bodnick also condemned Musk’s statement as shocking and antisemitic. Indeed, prominent figures like Matt Blaze, CNN anchor Jake Tapper, and tech journalist Kara Swisher all denounced Musk’s comments as promoting hate and unvarnished antisemitism.
Musk’s behavior has not been without previous controversy, as he faced backlash in September after threatening to sue the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and being accused of promoting hate speech since taking over X. However, Musk defended his position, asserting that he is “aspirationally Jewish” and has visited Israel.
In response to the recent incident, the ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt condemned Musk’s influence in validating and promoting antisemitic theories, stressing the dangerous consequences of using such influence. This controversy comes at a time when we have seen a nearly 400% increase in antisemitic incidents across the US, as reported the ADL.
This is not the first time that Moskovitz has been critical of Musk, as he previously labeled Tesla and SpaceX as “scams” earlier this year. As tensions continue to mount, the fallout from Musk’s comments and potential implications for his companies remain uncertain.