In a jab against the embattled social network, Musk joked ‘What’s Facebook?’ before deactivating his companies’ official pages
Elon Musk joined the #DeleteFacebook movement on Friday, taking down official pages for two of his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, after he learned – apparently for the first time – that the pages existed.
The billionaire chief executive engaged in some light-hearted Twitter trolling on Friday morning, responding to a tweet from the WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton, which urged people to delete the social network with the query: “What’s Facebook?”
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) What’s Facebook?
When a Twitter user brought up the fact that SpaceX has a profile on the massive social media platform and asked whether he would put his money where his mouth was, Musk responded: “I didn’t realize there was one. Will do.”
Musk also said that he had “literally never seen it even once”, presumably breaking the heart of the social media staffer whose job it was to create and manage the page in the first place.
Minutes later, both the Facebook pages of both Tesla and SpaceX had been deactivated.
A Tesla spokesperson declined to comment on the motivation.
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Facebook has faced an onslaught of criticism from elected officials, former employees, the press and its own users in the wake of the Observer’s reporting that personal information about 50 million US Facebook users was harvested largely without users’ knowledge or consent and then improperly given to the political consultancy company Cambridge Analytica.
But Musk has long had a touchy relationship with Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.
In 2016, Zuckerberg was a touch less than gracious about the accidental explosion of a SpaceX rocket carrying a satellite intended for use on his Internet.org project. “I’m deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX’s launch failure destroyed our satellite,” he wrote at the time.
Musk also addressed that brouhaha, responding to a reporter’s tweet about the incident: “Yeah, my fault for being an idiot. We did give them a free launch to make up for it and I think they had some insurance.”
Elon Musk (@elonmusk) Yeah, my fault for being an idiot. We did give them a free launch to make up for it and I think they had some insurance.
The rival billionaires have also traded barbs over artificial intelligence. Musk has long pushed for regulation of AI, warning that the technology poses a “fundamental risk to the existence of civilization”.
In July 2017, Zuckerberg addressed Musk’s views in a Facebook Live broadcast, stating that focusing on “doomsday scenarios” was “really negative” and “pretty irresponsible”.
Musk shot back in a tweet, saying: “I’ve talked to Mark about this. His understanding of the subject is limited.”
Still, Musk’s commitment to deleting Facebook does not appear to extend to Instagram, the photo sharing service owned by Facebook where the billionaire frequently shares selfies and snapshots of his travels, cars, and rockets.
Asked about his continued use of Instagram, Musk tweeted: “It’s borderline. FB influence is slowing creeping in.”
Elon Musk To Facebook: Mmm ... K, Bye
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Raoux/AP John Raoux/AP
There is no greater burn than pretending you've never heard of something when that thing has 2.2 billion monthly active users. And Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, lobbed a fiery zinger at the world's leading social-media behemoth Friday when he asked on Twitter: "What's Facebook?"
He added fuel to the flame when he later deleted both company pages, becoming another tech billionaire jumping on the #DeleteFacebook movement.
The jab at Facebook started in response to a challenge posed by WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton, who earlier this week encouraged users to cancel their accounts — even though it was Facebook that made him a very rich man. In 2014, Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion.
"It is time," Acton tweeted, adding "#deletefacebook."
But it wasn't until another follower inserted himself into the conversation, goading Musk to get rid of the SpaceX page, that the entrepreneur said, "I didn't realize there was one. Will do."
Apparently, he had "literally never seen it even once."
Whether that is true or not, the pages have vanished.
The online exodus from Facebook gained momentum in the wake of a scandal involving Cambridge Analytica, a British company that collected millions of Facebook users' data without their knowledge or permission to help Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.
The political consulting company, for which former White House staffer Steve Bannon served as vice president at the time, collected personal information from an estimated 50 million users. It was used to create "psychographic" or personality profiles for voters in order to target them with Trump-related content.
In a tweet later Friday, Musk said leaving Facebook wasn't a personal sacrifice, despite the 2.6 million likes that SpaceX had accumulated over the years, as Business Insider noted.
"I don't use FB & never have, so don't think I'm some kind of martyr or my companies are taking a huge blow," he wrote.
There is also a tumultuous history between Musk and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. They disagree on the benefits of artificial technology. So much so that Zuckerberg once called Musk a "naysayer."
Musk wasted little time in shooting back over Twitter, writing, "I've talked to Mark about this. His understanding of the subject is limited."
And in 2016, Zuckerberg noted that one of Musk's SpaceX rockets blew up on a launch pad and incinerated a Facebook satellite.
"I'm deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX's launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent," Zuckerberg posted to Facebook at the time.
While the statement appears mild, it was perceived as an escalation of their feud.
When onlookers to Friday's Twitter scuffle reminded Musk of the incident, he said, "It was my fault for being an idiot."
Musk's disdain for Facebook, however, does not extend to Instagram, where Musk has 6.9 million followers. Facebook bought the photo- and video-sharing company in 2012.
"Instagram's probably ok imo, so long as it stays fairly independent," he explained on Twitter.
In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Zuckerberg responded to questions about the #DeleteFacebook movement, saying it has not had a major impact so far.
"I don't think we've seen a meaningful number of people act on that, but, you know, it's not good," he said.
"I think it's a clear signal that this is a major trust issue for people, and I understand that. And whether people delete their app over it or just don't feel good about using Facebook, that's a big issue that I think we have a responsibility to rectify."
“What’s Facebook?” Mr. Musk replied to Mr. Acton. Then Mr. Musk announced he would shut down the SpaceX and Tesla pages. He said the Tesla Facebook page “looks lame anyway.”
The posts, which sent the Twittersphere into a virtual frenzy, escalated a public feud between Mr. Musk and Mr. Zuckerberg. Mr. Musk has often urged people to be cautious of embracing technology such as artificial intelligence because of the consequences it might bring, once saying that it could become so powerful it would start wars and turn people into its “house cats.”
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Mr. Zuckerberg has argued that people need to trust and embrace technology in their lives. When the Facebook chief executive was asked about Mr. Musk’s warnings around artificial intelligence during a Facebook Live broadcast in 2017, he called Mr. Musk a “naysayer.” That’s an insult in a technology world that celebrates perpetual optimism.
“With A.I. especially, I’m really optimistic,” Mr. Zuckerberg said. “People who are naysayers and kind of try to drum up these doomsday scenarios — I just, I don’t understand it. I think it’s really negative and in some ways I actually think it is pretty irresponsible.”
In response, Mr. Musk shot back that Mr. Zuckerberg did not fully comprehend the issues.
“I’ve talked to Mark about this,” Mr. Musk wrote. “His understanding of the subject is limited.”
The two have also clashed on space travel. Mr. Zuckerberg traveled to Kenya in 2016 for the launch of a Facebook-affiliated satellite called Amos-6, which was set to go to outer space in a SpaceX rocket. But the rocket exploded. Mr. Zuckerberg released a chilly statement.
“As I’m here in Africa, I’m deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX’s launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent,” he wrote on Facebook.
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Mr. Musk is a frequent Twitter presence, who has posted increasingly macho and humor-focused messages including video of himself playing with a flamethrower.
He said he plans to keep using his Instagram account, which is owned by Facebook, and on which he has 6.9 million followers.
When one reporter said on Twitter that it was remarkable Mr. Musk had so much time to troll online, Mr. Musk wrote, “What, a troll, me!?”
Facebook and SpaceX didn’t immediately have a comment on Mr. Musk’s deleted pages. A Tesla spokeswoman did not have a comment beyond Mr. Musk’s tweets.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, seen here after the company's successful Falcon Heavy rocket test launch on Feb. 6, 2018, removed SpaceX and Tesla from Facebook on March 23.
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has joined the #deletefacebook movement.
In a series of Twitter posts today (March 23), Musk said he would delete SpaceX's Facebook page, as well as the one for his electric car company Tesla, while answering messages from other Twitter users. Then he (and presumably the social media teams for those companies) followed through.
"What's Facebook?" Musk wrote in reply to Brian Acton, the cofounder of WhatsApp (which is owned by Facebook). Acton coined the #deleteFacebook hashtag Tuesday (March 20) in response to news that the personal data of 50 million Facebook users had been improperly aquired and used by Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm used by President Trump's election campaign. The New York Times first reported that news over the weekend.
When another Twitter follower asked Musk to delete Facebook, he said he would. "I didn't realize there was one," Musk wrote of SpaceX's Facebook page, adding that it would be "gone soon."
I didn’t realize there was one. Will do. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2018
Another Twitter user then pointed out Tesla's Facebook page, asking if it, too, would be deleted.
"Definitely," Musk wrote. "Looks lame anyway."
Definitely. Looks lame anyway. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2018
Altogether, SpaceX and Tesla had more than 5 million followers, according to Venture Beat.
If you're a SpaceX fan who loves the company's awesome photos and videos, you'll still be able to find them on social media. SpaceX is still available on Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Instagram (which, like WhatsApp, is owned by Facebook).
"Instagram's probably okay imo [in my opinion], so long as it stays fairly independent," Musk wrote. "I don't use FB [Facebook] & never have, so don't think I'm some kind of martyr or my companies are taking a huge blow. Also, we don't advertise or pay for endorsements, so ... don't care."
But Musk wasn't done with his epic Facebook burn.
"We've never advertised with FB," Musk added. "None of my companies buy advertising or pay famous people to fake endorse. Product lives or dies on its own merits."
Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
