Billie Eilish is short on kind words for Tesla founder Elon Musk.
After calling out billionaires during her WSJ Innovator Awards speech last month, the pop musician is condemning the Tesla CEO, after shareholders approved a deal that could make him the world’s first trillionaire.
On Thursday, Nov. 13, the “Birds of a Feather” singer shared an Instagram post by the My Voice, My Choice initiative detailing what Musk could do if he reaches trillionaire status.
The post suggests Musk dedicate his wealth toward philanthropy efforts, including spending $40 billion annually to combat world hunger, $10 billion annually to vaccinate 140 million newborns for the next 100 years and $53.2 billion to rebuild Gaza.
After sharing several slides, Eilish wrote a brief remark on her Instagram Story on Thursday, Nov. 13, directed toward Musk that included the words “pathetic” and “coward” as well as three expletives.Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
USA TODAY has reached out to Tesla for comment.
Is Elon Musk a trillionaire already?
Musk is not a trillionaire, though there is a chance he could be after Tesla shareholders agreed to grant him shares worth trillions on Nov. 6 if the company reaches its financial and operational goals over the next decade.
If successful, the company’s market value will reach $8.5 trillion and Musk will own a quarter of the stock, Reuters reported. Among the goals were increasing paid subscriptions to its self-driving software to 10 million and selling one million humanlike robots.
“What we’re about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla, but a whole new book,” Musk told shareholders.
Already the world’s richest person, the South African native leveraged his availability and focus amid negotiations and said he would prioritize his other companies, like SpaceX and Neutralink, if the deal failed, according to Reuters.
Is Elon Musk a philanthropist?
Musk has previously donated money to philanthropic efforts, notably in 2012 when he signed the Musk Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge, a commitment where the world’s wealthiest agree to give at least 50% of their wealth to charity.
In 2001, he and his brother, Kimbal Musk, founded the private charitable Musk Foundation, which has donated more than $450 million in total for the past three years.
The organization has faced scrutiny after the New York Times reported that it failed to donate the required 5% threshold for the 2023 tax year, as well as the two prior tax years. The company fell short $421 million of the amount required to avoid a penalty to the Internal Revenue Service.
He has previously expressed skepticism about charity, adding that his for-profit ventures have a greater impact on the world at large. Last year, he told the New York Times that he’s “done more for the environment than any single human on Earth.”
