Elon Musk’s mother, Maye Musk descends on NYT for saying her son had “White Privilege”

A screenshot of a New York Times article claiming that Elon Musk was shielded from the horrors of apartheid in South Africa because of his white privilege.

‘Elon Musk grew up in elite white communities in South Africa, detached from apartheid’s atrocities and surrounded by anti-Black propaganda,’ the Times wrote in promoting the article on popular tweeting platform Twitter, which is now owned by the Tesla CEO. He sees his takeover of Twitter as a victory for free speech, but he did not experience the effects of misinformation in his youth.‘

Maye Musk, Tesla CEO’s mother, also responded to the article on Twitter, slamming the Times for the article.

Maye is pictured above as her son’s special guest at the 2022 Met Gala on Sunday. Her son’s defence comes as the billionaire prepares to buy Twitter for $44 billion.

The Times interviewed Musk’s relatives and classmates for the article, which revealed that the communities Musk grew up in, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban, were all shrouded in misinformation that influenced its residents.

‘As white South African teenagers, we were completely clueless. ‘He’s completely clueless,’ Melanie Cheary, Mr. Musk’s Bryanston High School classmate, told the Times.

While the article claimed that the cities were victims of the government’s propaganda campaign, with newspapers arriving with entire sections blacked out, it ultimately suggested that the censorship seen in South Africa may have influenced Musk’s fervent defence of free speech, as he has repeatedly expressed his opposition to how Twitter bans individuals.

Others slammed the Times’ article on Twitter, saying it was ridiculous to suggest Musk could have done anything to stop apartheid as a child.

‘I’m certain @elonmusk was aware of the horrors of apartheid, but that doesn’t mean he approved of it, as the article subtly implies,’ wrote one Twitter user with the handle Ataxerex2020.

Another Twitter user made fun of the story, suggesting a different headline: ‘Why did Elon Musk not single-handedly abolish apartheid at the age of three?’

Geoffrey Miller, a Twitter user, expressed his displeasure with the Times, writing, ‘This is one of the most unethically cringe & toxically stupid smears the @nytimes has ever published.’ ‘You sociopathic ghouls, shame on you.’

Another Twitter user, Tim Young, wrote, ‘The New York Times: ‘Elon Musk did not end apartheid in South Africa as a child, so he is evil now.’

Others took to Twitter to condemn the New York Times’ claim that Musk was influenced by apartheid-era misinformation in his home country of South Africa.

Although the article goes into detail about how apartheid-era propaganda influenced white residents and obscured the horrors of the conflict, Musk’s criticisms of apartheid and his close relationships with black classmates and family friends are repeatedly mentioned.

Errol Musk, the billionaire’s estranged father who belonged to the anti-apartheid Progressive Party, told the Times that Musk and his siblings were fully aware of the horrors of apartheid from an early age and knew they had to be careful when visiting non-white friends.

‘As far as being protected from it goes, that’s nonsense,’ Errol said. ‘They were confronted with it on a daily basis. They weren’t pleased.’

Elon was born in South Africa and moved to Canada after graduating from high school at the age of 17.

Musk grew up in South Africa before leaving after graduating from high school. Musk is pictured in Canada, where he is celebrating his 18th birthday.

Errol Musk, the billionaire’s estranged father, stated that his three children (L-R) Kimbal, Tosca, and Elon were well aware of apartheid’s horrors and how it affected their black friends.

The investigation into what may have influenced Musk’s censorship policies comes as he prepares to become the new CEO of Twitter following the completion of his $44 billion acquisition.

According to CNBC, the tech tycoon will hold the position for a few months after the buyout.

Specifics about the jobs, such as how long they will last, were not immediately available, and Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.

The move could destabilise the social media behemoth, where Parag Agrawal has only been CEO for a few months.

It comes after it was revealed that Musk has 18 investors who have pledged to contribute more than $7 billion in equity to help fund his takeover.

Musk stated in a filing on Thursday that his friend and Oracle Corp co-founder Larry Ellison’s trust will contribute $1 billion to the $44 billion buyout.

Musk also stated that he had received equity commitment letters from investors such as Sequoia Capital ($800 million) and Brookfield ($250 million) for a $7.14 billion financing.

Qatari Holding ($375 million) and NYC real estate investor Steve Witkoff ($100 million) were also named as investors.

According to the filing, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud committed 34,948,975 Twitter Inc shares.

The move was made ‘in order to retain an equity investment in Twitter following the completion of the Merger,’ according to the royal.

Alwaleed had initially opposed the buyout, but today he tweeted at Musk, referring to his “new friend” who will be a “excellent leader” at the social media behemoth.

The tech tycoon has agreed to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share, a 38% premium over the closing price on April 1, the last trading day before he disclosed his approximately 9% stake in the platform.

The transaction, however, is currently being investigated by the United States Federal Trade Commission for potential antitrust violations.

The US Federal Trade Commission is reportedly reviewing Elon Musk’s $44 billion Twitter buyout for potential antitrust concerns

Representative Jim Jordan on Wednesday issued a letter raising concerns about the FTC antitrust probe and suggesting he planned to investigate

Some of the world’s wealthiest investors have backed Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter Inc.

According to Bloomberg, the FTC now has 30 days to consider the deal and decide whether to issue a second request to investigate the matter further. However, most experts believe there are no antitrust concerns that could prevent the takeover.

However, the Democratic FTC Chair Lina Khan’s former employer, the anti-monopoly activist group Open Markets Initiative, has urged the agency to block the deal, claiming that it “poses immediate and direct threats to American democracy and free speech.”

The group argued that Musk already has control over a key communication platform through his ownership of the Starlink satellite internet service, and that his purchase of Twitter would be a dangerous concentration of power.

Representative Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, issued a letter on Wednesday raising concerns about the FTC antitrust investigation and indicating that he planned to investigate.

Jordan expressed concern about statements made by the Open Markets Institute (OMI), which he described as a “radical left-wing political advocacy organisation,” and its call for the FTC to halt the transaction.

Jordan has backed Musk’s purchase of Twitter in the hopes that some conservatives, such as former President Donald Trump, who have been barred from using the social media platform will be able to rejoin.

There is little chance that Musk’s proposed purchase of Twitter will be rejected by antitrust authorities.

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