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Elon Musk takes a clear stance in alleged CEO-killer Luigi Mangione‘s drama as more Americans continue to glorify him with anti-billionaire sentiments. The 26-year-old gained fame earlier this month following his arrest in connection to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, New York. Following the December 4 killing, the suspect fled in a bicycle, leading to a manhunt that lasted for days, with a roughly $60000 reward on the cards. Law enforcement took him into custody after nabbing him at a McDonald’s restaurants following tip from an employee. However, since photos of the suspect went viral, the sentiment of most Americans seems to have turned from anger and fear, to “hero” worship.
While his growing popularity has been linked to his good looks, the perception of Luigi Mangione’s murder of a CEO as an act of heroism resulting in one less billionaire in the world to contend with also plays a part. Luigi’s supporters have paraded themselves under the banner of rooting for a better healthcare system in the country or bringing an end to corrupt insurance CEOs and corporate bodies.
Elon Musk Shares His Take on Anti-Billionaire Ideology Following Celebrated CEO Murder
Regardless of what form these “free Mangione” demonstrations take, the message circles around vilifying CEOS and billionaires while crowning Luigi the people’s hero for haunting down the so-called villains in the race against outsize corporate influence. Billionaire CEO Elon Musk shared a post discussing everything wrong about this ideology on the heels of Luigi Mangione’s hearing.
On Monday, December 23, 2024, the business mogul reposted a lengthy writeup by Dave Lee trashing the anti-billionaire ideology and its potential to do “more harm than good” in society in the long run. It began,
“Here are some notes on the anti-billionaire ideology and why it might do more harm than good. At the heart of the frustration with wealth inequality, especially among younger people, are several overlapping ideas.”
David proceeded to list some of the premisses behind the reasoning of anti-billionaire idealists. Among the points mentioned were the “zero-sum view of wealth,” “moral indictment of profit,” and “the suspicion of capitalism itself.” Under these views, critics often believe the rich gain wealth only at the expense of the poor, or that all billionaires can only earn wealth through exploitative means.
Tesla CEO Addresses Wealth Inequality
Elon Musk’s retweeted post also discussed points like “focus on equality of outcome over equality of opportunity,” which tend to reject the possibility that big disparities can exist even when upward mobility is possible. The fifth point raised, “conflation of Net Worth With Liquid cash” erroneously assumes the bogus net worth of billionaires invariably meant they were hoarding money that could’ve otherwise been distributed to society. David explained,
“A common misconception is that billionaires have all their ‘net worth’ in spendable forms. In reality, most wealth is tied up in assets. This fuels the ager because it appears that billionaires “hoard” money and choose not to share it.”
The post went on to explain why these ideas could be misleading, from the flawed assumption that total wealth is static, to the dangerously unfair practice of “lumping all billionaires into the bad-guy category.” Elon Musk, via the reposted tweet also highlighted the investment risks billionaires take before attaining wealth, and their role in economic growth, something anti-billionaire ideologies failed to consider. Finally, he pointed out that while such ideologies promote “a scorched-earth method of leveling wealth” they ignore the potential risks of taxing startups and potentially life-saving innovators out of existence, all in a bid to strip personal fortunes.
The tech mogul keyed into David Lee’s belief that rather than continually attack billionaires and frame all economic issues as “wealth inequality,” a more constructive approach would be reducing the cost of living, and “creating a more robust, opportunity-rich economy.”
Elon Musk Slam Americans Protesting Luigi Mangione’s Arrest
Elon Musk shared a follow-up post on his platform hours later, this time, reposting a writeup by X user Insurrection Barbie, directly condemning Americans for celebrating CEO-killer Luigi Mangione and other reported violence in New York. It read,
“New York has become a sideshow. CEOs get executed in broad daylight and when his killer gets arrested people protest his arrest and they cheer him on SNL.”
This follows the widespread calls to free Luigi despite the weight of his gruesome crime against United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson who was also a dad and husband. A notepad found on the suspect during his arrest detailed an elaborate plan to kill the insurance CEO. His motive supposedly stems from personal grievances against the healthcare industry after suffering a back injury in July 2023. Despite the damning evidence against him, Luigi Mangione pleaded “not guilty” to the murder and weapons charges during his court hearing this week, setting the stage for a long, hazy trial. Until his final verdict is delivered, he remains held at the famed Metropolitan Detention Center which also houses famous inmates like Sean “Diddy” Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.
