Musk vs. Soros: The Tweet Heard ‘Round the World

Twitter owner Elon Musk stirs controversy with a tweet comparing George Soros to comic-book villain Magneto. Dive into this trivia-filled account of the Musk Vs. Soros clash and its impact on social media.

George Soros, a Holocaust-surviving Jewish-born investor, and philanthropist, is often the target of far-right, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. According to a regulatory filing, Soros Fund Management LLC sold all of its 2.5 million shares of Tesla Inc. in the first quarter of 2023. This prompted Musk to tweet on May 16, 2023: “Soros is a traitor to humanity and a threat to our planet,” comparing him to the X-Men’s civilization-crushing Magneto. Here are the facts.

1. The Billionaires: A Philanthropist and a Tech Mogul

Musk Vs. Soros: Elon Musk attempts to explain
Musk Vs. Soros: Elon Musk attempts to explain. Screenshot: CNBC

George Soros, a Jewish-born investor, and philanthropist, is no stranger to controversy, often the target of far-right, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, tech tycoon and Twitter’s new owner has a reputation for stirring up the Twitterverse with his unconventional views and radical changes to the platform.

2. The Unlikely Marvel Connection

In a plot twist worthy of a Marvel comic, on May 16, 2023, Musk dropped a tweet comparing Soros to Magneto, the metal-manipulating mutant. For those living under a rock (or who are just DC fans), Magneto is a Marvel villain. He is a Jewish Holocaust survivor with a deep grudge against humanity. Coincidence or a deliberate jab? We’ll leave that up to you.

3. A Tesla Sale and a Netflix Buy

Tesla, Paris Motor Show 2018
Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Before we dive deeper into this tweetstorm, let’s go back to May 12, 2023. Soros Fund Management decided to part ways with its Tesla stake and cozy up to Netflix instead. It also bought 1.2 million shares of Lucid Motors Inc., a competitor in the electric vehicle market.

4. A Tweet That Shook the Twitterverse

Fast forward to May 16, Elon Musk tweets about Soros, painting him as the civilization-crushing Magneto. He further accuses Soros of hating humanity. Did Musk’s tweet have a touch of sour grapes? Or was it just another day in the life of one of tech’s most unpredictable personalities?

5. Civil Rights Organizations React

George Soros
George Soros. Photo: Niccolò Caranti, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Several civil rights organizations didn’t see the humor in Musk’s tweet, though. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), for instance, condemned Musk’s tweets, calling them “dangerous” and warning they could “embolden extremists.” Musk’s representation of Soros as a supervillain was seen as fueling anti-Semitism, and not everyone was buying his “just stating my opinion” defense.

6. Musk Stands His Ground

Musk has stood by his tweet despite the backlash, maintaining that his comment was not anti-Semitic but simply an opinion about a “controversial figure.” He has asserted that he’s “not afraid to speak my mind” and will “continue to do so.”

The Twitter Quiz

News Trivia Time: Now that you know all the facts about the Musk vs. Soros incident, how about a news quiz?

Twitter Quick Quiz

Social Media Quiz: 7 Multiple-choice general knowledge questions about Twitter. No time-limit. How smart are you today?

1 / 7

1. Where is Tucker Carlson planning his next show?

Screenshot: Tucker Carlson on Twitter

2 / 7

2. According to a leaked memo, only 6 months after its acquisition, what does Elon Musk value Twitter at?

Screenshot: Tesla – YouTube

3 / 7

3. Effective Nov. 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing which policy?

Image: HowSmart.net using Dall-E

4 / 7

4. After testing if his Twitter account was unblocked in Nov. 2022, Ye tweeted what?

Screenshot: X17onlineVideo – YouTube

5 / 7

5. Which of these happened within 12 hours of Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter?

Photo: Elon Musk (@elonmusk) / Twitter

6 / 7

6. Elon Musk bought Twitter. For how much?

Screenshot: TED on YouTube

7 / 7

7. What is Twitter Blue?

Challenge your friends to see if any of them can do any better!

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Sources

We cross-checked our Musk vs. Soros facts with the world’s leading news outlets.