Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Clash Over In-Flight Wi-Fi
A simple disagreement about airplane internet has exploded into a full-blown public feud. Two of the world's most outspoken billionaires, Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, are now trading insults and takeover threats online. The argument started over SpaceX's Starlink service but quickly became much more personal.
The Spark: A Rejection of Starlink
The conflict ignited when Michael O'Leary publicly rejected installing Starlink Wi-Fi on Ryanair's planes. He explained his reasoning in a recent interview. O'Leary stated that the necessary antenna would add weight and drag to the aircraft. This would lead to a two percent fuel penalty. For a budget airline focused on short, one-hour flights, he argued passengers simply would not pay extra for the service.
Elon Musk fired back almost immediately. He called O'Leary "misinformed" about the technology. Musk warned that Ryanair would lose customers to competing airlines that offer Starlink connectivity. This initial exchange set the stage for a much nastier confrontation.
Name-Calling and Public Insults
The professional disagreement rapidly descended into personal attacks. Speaking on a radio show, Michael O'Leary did not mince words. He referred to Elon Musk as an "idiot." O'Leary acknowledged Musk's vast wealth but insisted, "he's still an idiot."
Elon Musk responded in kind on his social media platform, X. He labeled the Ryanair boss an "utter idiot" who deserved to be fired. The billionaire spat captivated online audiences as the two men continued to trade controversial remarks.
Social Media Outage Fuels the Fire
The feud reached a new level of absurdity during a recent outage on X. On Friday, January 16, users across the globe, including in India and the United States, reported problems. They could not post updates or check their feeds. Downdetector tracked sharp spikes in complaints about the platform's instability.
Ryanair's social media team saw an opportunity. They posted a mocking message directed at Musk: "Perhaps you need Wi-Fi, @elonmusk?" This cheeky dig referenced both the X outage and the core of their dispute.
Takeover Jokes Go Viral
Elon Musk did not let the jab slide. He escalated the situation dramatically with a provocative question. Musk asked his followers, "Should I buy Ryanair and put someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge?"
This single post triggered a wave of memes, jokes, and speculative replies. The internet ran wild with the idea of a hostile takeover. One user tagged Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, asking for Ryanair's market cap and the potential cost of a buyout. Another humorously requested a list of the "top 5 Ryans" suitable for the CEO job.
Even people named Ryan joined the fun. One Ryan offered a sarcastic proposal: "Make me CEO and I'll give all Ryan's a discount." Another user, named Bryan, volunteered to change his name, promising to fix the airline with Grok and live-tweet the entire process on X.
The Stakes: A Glimpse at the Billionaires' Worlds
The public spat highlights the vast gulf between the two men's fortunes. Elon Musk remains the richest person in the world. His net worth has soared past $700 billion, eclipsing the combined wealth of tech giants like Larry Page, Larry Ellison, and Jeff Bezos.
Michael O'Leary, while successful, operates on a different scale. He is set to receive a performance bonus of $116 million in 2028. Yet, this sum represents just a fraction of Musk's astronomical wealth. The clash is more than a war of words; it's a collision between different business philosophies and personal styles.
This incident is part of a pattern for Musk, who is currently embroiled in other high-profile disputes. He is engaged in a legal battle with OpenAI over alleged wrongful gains. The Ryanair feud, however, has captured the public's imagination in a unique way, blending technology, travel, and pure spectacle.
The heated exchange shows no signs of cooling down. As both billionaires continue their war of words, the world watches, amused and waiting for the next viral chapter.
