Elon Musk, one of the biggest recipients of federal aid, is under fire and public scrutiny following his Nazi salute at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The tech mogul, who holds significant influence in the tech industry, stretched his right arm upwards during the inauguration ceremony twice, evoking Hitler’s infamous salute.
The issue has sparked an outcry on social media, with some opting to deactivate their Twitter accounts, refusing to associate with a platform owned by Musk. Several users even stated they would be shifting to alternatives such as Bluesky in protest.
Footage of other notable tech executives, including Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Alphabet’s CEO Sundar Pichai, at the ceremony has also surfaced, but none appear to have been involved in similar incidents. Although, Pichai represents members of the Brahmin Indian caste, a system traditionally prone to exclusionary acts within Silicone Valley. This effectively leaves only Zuckerberg and Bezos as the fairly race neutral groupss in the lot.
Many view this as an accurate reflection of Musk’s controversial worldviews. Akin to Trump, Musk’s growing power has been the subject of considerable concern for many. Some are calling for severe consequences and action against Musk. A number of Europeans are urging leaders to impose bans on Musk and his associated companies. Others are calling on people to sever ties with companies led by executives like Musk, Zuckerberg, and Bezos. These allegations have generated significant backlash, with ‘Musk’ and ‘Trump’ emerging as the top trending tags in German and Italian news.
Critics on Twitter have labeled Musk a ‘Trumpist’ and a ‘Nazi’ in response to his controversial act. Frequent calls for Musk’s deportation have been made among the twitterati, adding to the tech mogul’s woes. It remains to be seen how these allegations will affect Musk’s standing in the tech industry and the world at large. While some view his reported salute as a manifestation of white supremacist ideology, others are holding out in hopes of a clarifying statement from Musk himself, which is naive to either expect or believe.