Elon Musk dismissed Angela Merkel’s criticism of Starlink, employing a vulgar insult.
Following former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s critique of his influence in politics and space, Elon Musk responded with an offensive personal attack.
Merkel, in her recently released memoir, “Freedom: Memories 1945-2021,” criticized Musk’s Starlink program in an interview with Der Spiegel.
“The fact that one person like him [Musk] owns 60% of all satellites orbiting in space is a matter of great concern for us, in addition to the political issues,” Merkel stated.
Musk’s SpaceX operates Starlink, a satellite internet provider with over 6,000 satellites in orbit, notably providing service to Ukraine for military communications.
Musk responded with a crude and dismissive comment referencing a slang term for a pubic hair covering, indicating a deliberate and offensive choice of words.
While Musk’s post appeared online Sunday, German media reported on it Tuesday. Bild described his response as a “below the belt” insult, while Der Spiegel, without direct commentary, used the incident to promote both its Merkel interview and a separate article labeling Musk “Public enemy number two.”
“It’s doubtful whether Musk read the whole interview,” the German tabloid noted. “But he certainly noticed one of the Spiegel articles about him.”
This is not the first time Musk has insulted German politicians. He previously called Chancellor Olaf Scholz a “fool” (ein Narr) and used the same term for Economy Minister Robert Habeck following Habeck’s suggestion that algorithms controlling social media platforms (such as X) should undergo EU regulation.
The world’s richest man has also become a prominent advisor to US President-elect Donald Trump, having assisted in his re-election campaign. He is set to lead the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (DOGE), alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, aiming to reduce the size of the American bureaucracy.
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