Earlier this week, in a fiery discussion on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Scott Galloway and Kevin O'Leary clashed over Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk's legacy.
What Happened: The debate started with Piers Morgan recalling an encounter with Musk, where the billionaire showed off videos of Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, and expressed his belief that robots would revolutionize the world.
Morgan pointed out Musk’s enthusiasm for innovation but questioned his involvement in politics and the “aggravation” that came with it.
Galloway, a prominent business professor and author, took a harsher stance, condemning Musk's actions, such as drug use and controversial statements.
He said, "I think the two of you are more impressed with Mr. Musk than I am," referring to O’Leary and Morgan's praise for Musk's achievements.
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Galloway argued that while Musk is a technological genius, his behavior, including controversial political stances and lack of philanthropy (unlike Bill Gates), overshadowed his accomplishments.
He added, "If somebody is making Nazi salutes, if somebody is being sued concurrently by two women for sole custody of their child because that person has not spent any time with that child, when someone is so severely addicted to drugs … I don’t think that’s the right role model for young men."
O’Leary, on the other hand, defended Musk, highlighting his innovation and contributions to technology. He stated that despite Musk's flaws, his achievements in electric vehicles, space exploration and robotics were undeniable.
The "Shark Tank" star described Galloway's criticism as "Musk derangement syndrome" and urged the focus to remain on Musk's groundbreaking work, not his controversies.
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Why It's Important: Previously, Musk pushed back against a recent New York Times report claiming he regularly used ketamine during the 2024 campaign.
“I'm in meetings with dozens to hundreds of people every day and am photographed constantly,” he stated, adding, “If this bs from NYT were true, it would have been EXTREMELY obvious.”
Earlier this year, it was also reported that Tesla's board began looking for Musk's successor due to his focus on government work in Washington, D.C., and the company's financial struggles.
The board allegedly urged Musk to recommit to Tesla. However, Tesla denied reaching out to recruitment firms, calling the report false. Chairwoman Robyn Denholm reaffirmed confidence in Musk and the tech mogul criticized the report as unethical and deliberately false.
Musk currently has a net worth of $335 billion, making him the wealthiest individual in the world, as per Bloomberg's Billionaire Index.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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