Elon Musk's latest outburst has sent shockwaves through the airline industry, as he publicly floated the idea of buying Ryanair. The billionaire's comments, made in a post on his X platform, were sparked by a heated exchange with the Irish carrier's CEO, Michael O'Leary.
The tension between the two men began last week, when O'Leary dismissed the possibility of installing Starlink satellite internet technology on Ryanair's fleet of 650 aircraft. Musk claimed that interpretation was "misinformed", leading to a series of insults and barbs, with each man accusing the other of being an "idiot".
But in a surprising twist, Musk took his feud to the next level by asking his followers if he should buy Ryanair altogether. The poll, which closed just three hours later, showed that nearly 75% of respondents were in favor of the idea, with many joking about installing O'Leary as the "rightful ruler" of the airline.
The suggestion, however, seems to be largely symbolic, given the regulatory hurdles that would need to be overcome before a foreign buyer could take control of an EU-based airline. Under EU law, airlines based in the bloc must be majority-owned by EU nationals or citizens of certain other countries.
Despite this, Ryanair's shares did take a hit on Tuesday, closing nearly 1% down, suggesting that investors are not taking Musk's threat seriously. O'Leary himself appeared to mock Musk's suggestion, posting on his own X account about the potential costs of installing Wi-Fi on the airline's planes.
The exchange between Musk and O'Leary has highlighted the increasingly toxic nature of social media discourse, with each man seemingly determined to outdo the other in a battle of insults and bravado. Whether or not Musk follows through on his threat to buy Ryanair remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: this spat will be remembered for its sheer audacity and unpredictability.
The tension between the two men began last week, when O'Leary dismissed the possibility of installing Starlink satellite internet technology on Ryanair's fleet of 650 aircraft. Musk claimed that interpretation was "misinformed", leading to a series of insults and barbs, with each man accusing the other of being an "idiot".
But in a surprising twist, Musk took his feud to the next level by asking his followers if he should buy Ryanair altogether. The poll, which closed just three hours later, showed that nearly 75% of respondents were in favor of the idea, with many joking about installing O'Leary as the "rightful ruler" of the airline.
The suggestion, however, seems to be largely symbolic, given the regulatory hurdles that would need to be overcome before a foreign buyer could take control of an EU-based airline. Under EU law, airlines based in the bloc must be majority-owned by EU nationals or citizens of certain other countries.
Despite this, Ryanair's shares did take a hit on Tuesday, closing nearly 1% down, suggesting that investors are not taking Musk's threat seriously. O'Leary himself appeared to mock Musk's suggestion, posting on his own X account about the potential costs of installing Wi-Fi on the airline's planes.
The exchange between Musk and O'Leary has highlighted the increasingly toxic nature of social media discourse, with each man seemingly determined to outdo the other in a battle of insults and bravado. Whether or not Musk follows through on his threat to buy Ryanair remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: this spat will be remembered for its sheer audacity and unpredictability.
he's like a total wild card, you never know when he'll do something crazy. i feel bad for michael o leary tho, the guy just tried to shut down his starlink idea and musk went nuclear 
but yeah, it's all just a big show at this point. let's be real, musk will prob end up buying ryanair just to troll everyone else 
it's just a publicity stunt at this point. but let me ask you this, would anyone really trust an American billionaire with a fleet of 650 planes flying all over Europe? 
i mean, what's next? is he gonna try and buy the entire EU? 
the regulatory hurdles are there for a reason, folks! it's not just about Musk's ego or his fancy tech solutions. it's about protecting our interests and ensuring that we're getting fair play from our leaders 
it's like a real-life game of airline mogul vs chairman of the board 
anyway, i think o'leary handled his part of the conversation super well 
all that trash talk back at musk was on point 
and can you imagine installing wi-fi on ryanair's planes? 
. I mean, sure, O'Leary can dish it out, but does Musk have to take the bait? 
The fact that 75% of his followers are down for him to buy Ryanair is just wild 
. It's like they're all caught up in the drama and not thinking about the actual logistics 
. Anyway, I'm keeping an eye on this one - if Musk follows through, it'll be a major shake-up in the airline industry 
!
It's not like he needs the drama, what with all his other business ventures and whatnot 
. And O'Leary is totally justified in calling him out 
. It's like he thinks he's above the law or something 
. And those tweets about installing Starlink on Ryanair's planes? 
. Can't wait to see how this whole thing plays out 
, but for now, I'm just rolling my eyes 
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. Not to mention the potential disruption to the airline industry as a whole 
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. Maybe Musk could have just had a calm conversation with O'Leary instead of going all-in 
can u imagine how many people would love having wifi on flights?! and yeah the regulatory hurdles are a big issue but maybe musk's influence could bring some innovation to the airline industry