Elon Musk was schooled by the Economist’s editor-in-chief over the amount of misinformation he spouts on X about London.
This week, Musk gave one of his biggest interviews in a while as he sat down with Zanny Minton Beddoes for a discussion with the Economist.
The world’s richest man was asked about a number of topics including his views on artificial intelligence – which it’s safe to say have changed significantly compared to a few years ago – and his involvement in Donald Trump’s administration.
Another subject that was discussed was Musk’s obsession with London and the UK, and his desire to paint them as dystopian, crime-riddled hellscapes.
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This was something Minton Beddoes, who is British and lives in Britain, was understandably keen to challenge Musk on, given that statistics and facts repeatedly show his claims about London to be false.
After challenging Musk over his support for far-right parties in Europe, Musk said he ws simply just in favour of “secure borders, safe cities and sensible spending.”
Minton Beddoes pushed back on Musk’s claim that he wasn’t spouting far-right rhetoric, reminding him that he has previously said “civil war in Britain is inevitable.”
When Musk admitted he hadn’t visited the UK in a “few years,” Minton Beddoes responded: “Exactly. So I live there, and the numbers also disprove what you say.
“All the numbers about crime. London is a much safer city than any city in the United States. Violent crime in the UK is not where you think it is, in fact, it’s coming down.
“You have painted, and because you have so many followers, so many Americans believe it, a kind view that Europe and the UK are kind of overrun with terrifying, Muslim immigrants, there’s rape on every corner, there is a sort of civilisational destruction.”
Musk went ont to deny he had said such things, as Minton Beddoes continued to call the Tesla CEO out for the misinformation he shares online.
You can watch the conversation below.