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."

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.

Considering SpaceX accidentally blew up one of Mark Zuckerberg’s projects, this is a little awkward.

This week’s revelations about a British political consultancy’s use of data from 50 million Facebook users for potentially shady purposes has prompted many people to declare they will quit the social network in protest. One of the newest additions to the bandwagon is Elon Musk, the wealthy entrepreneur with companies like Tesla and Space X to his name—and he followed through in a very public way. It happened, as these things do, on Twitter. “It is time. #deletefacebook,” Brian Acton, the cofounder of the messaging service WhatsApp, tweeted on Tuesday, the day the Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into how Cambridge Analytica accessed the Facebook data. For whatever reason, Musk decided to respond to Acton’s tweet on Friday. “What’s Facebook?” he replied. He appeared to be joking, but someone decided to call his bluff. “Delete SpaceX page on Facebook if you’re the man?” @serdarsprofile said. “I didn’t realize there was one. Will do,” Musk replied. At this point, it wasn’t clear whether Musk was trolling or being serious, so others joined in.

Tesla and Space X founder Elon Musk deleted his companies’ Facebook pages on Friday during a series of Twitter exchanges. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

To the delight of many of his Twitter followers, Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk followed through on a promise Friday to delete the Facebook pages of both companies, flushing more than 5 million combined “likes” down the digital drain on a whim.

The Facebook pages for the automaker and aerospace innovator have been replaced by a default page noting that “content isn’t available right now.”

Musk apparently decided to take down the pages while responding to posts on Twitter, including one from Brian Acton, the co-founder of the Facebook-owned WhatsApp. Acton’s tweet included the hashtag #deletefacebook. That exchange led to a dare, as well as the revelation that Musk was unaware his aerospace company had a Facebook page.

I didn’t realize there was one. Will do. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2018

It didn’t take long for Musk to go on to delete Tesla’s Facebook page, noting that the page “looks lame anyway.”

Definitely. Looks lame anyway. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2018

By deleting (or ordering someone else to do so) his company’s Facebook pages, Musk joined an online movement calling for Facebook users to sever their ties to the social media giant. The movement began with the revelation that Cambridge Analytica — a political marketing firm that worked with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign — improperly harvested the data of 50 million Facebook users, raising new questions about the network’s ability to protect user data.

[ Billionaire burn: Musk says Zuckerberg’s understanding of AI threat ‘is limited’ ]

SpaceX and Tesla have not disappeared from social media entirely. Accounts for both companies remain active on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.

“Instagram’s probably ok imo, so long as it stays fairly independent,” Musk wrote on Twitter after calls for him to delete Tesla and SpaceX accounts on Instagram mounted Friday. “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.”

“Also,” he added, “we don’t advertise or pay for endorsements, so … don’t care.”

Perhaps their relationship is dreamy behind closed doors, but Musk and Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg have had several public spats in recent years.

Zuckerberg expressed some frustration after a SpaceX rocket exploded on a Florida launchpad in 2016, destroying a satellite that Facebook was planning to use. “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,” Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook hours after the incident.

The following year, Musk said in a tweet that Zuckerberg’s understanding of the threat posed by artificial intelligence “is limited.”

The cutting tweet followed comments that Zuckerberg had made condemning “naysayers” who “drum up these doomsday scenarios.” Because Musk frequently warns about the threat posed by AI, many assumed Zuckerbuerg’s comments were aimed at Musk.

I've talked to Mark about this. His understanding of the subject is limited. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2017

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