Skip to main content

Elon Musk Says He 'Probably' Won't Take Saudi Money After Khashoggi Death

Elon Musk has sought to distance himself from Saudi money following murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi 

Elon Musk has said he “probably would not” take Saudi money in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month.

In an extensive interview, the Tesla chief executive admitted the murder of Mr Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul “was really bad”, but was cautious to blame the kingdom-at-large for the incident. Mr Khashoggi was strangled and dismembered, Turkish prosecutors have said.

Tesla has a $2bn investment from the Saudis, and was linked to a further injection of cash from the regime after Mr Musk sent out a tweet in August to suggest he had secured funding to take Tesla private.

Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince and head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, is reported to have approached Tesla “multiple times” about the potential to take Tesla private. MBS has since been accused of orchestrating the murder of Mr Khashoggi, a vocal critic of the Saudi government.

“Yeah, well I mean, it’s important to appreciate that the Saudis have been approaching me for two years about going private. It wasn’t like spur-of-the-moment,” Mr Musk said in an interview with Recode co-founder Kara Swisher.

“Saudi Arabia’s an entire country, so I think you don’t want to, if there’s one really bad thing that occurred, nail down the whole country, it’s not great.”

The reach and influence of Saudi money in the tech industry has come under scrutiny in recent weeks.

SoftBank’s $100bn Vision Fund, which was launched in 2016 and has made significant investments in startups such as WeWork and Uber, has had a pledge of $45bn from the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

A shifting narrative from the Saudi government on the “disappearance” of Mr Khashoggi started to mount pressure on the Future Investment Initiative, a conference dubbed “Davos in the desert” held towards the end of October.

Global tech leaders such as Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi were due to attend but dropped out after uncertainty around Mr Khashoggi’s whereabouts grew. SoftBank chief executive Masayoshi Son withdrew from the event.

Mr Musk tried to avoid criticism of the country, choosing to highlight that Saudi citizens didn’t elect MBS to be their leader.  

“I think we should just consider that there is a whole country, and there’s, you know...There are a lot of good people in Saudi Arabia, and Saudis who are outside of Saudi Arabia. So I think you cannot paint an entire country with one brush, “ he said.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

55-Year-Old Man Arrested For Defiling Neighbor’s 10-Year-Old Girl

A 55-year old man, Jonas Obuobi, has landed in trouble in Lagos after he was reportedly caught engaging his neighbour’s 10-year old girl in sex and was arrested. The incident happened at Etimagu Street, Bariga area of Lagos where they reside. Police sources alleged that the suspect, Jonas, lured the victim into his apartment where he confused her, removed her pant and eventually defiled her in the process. However, while in the act, their neighbours caught him and the matter was reported to the Police who arrested and handed him to the Gender Section of the Command, Ikeja, Lagos for further investigation. During investigation, he denied raping her but reportedly saying that he did not force her into the act.However, the Police found him culpable because of the age of the victim and later charged him before the Ogba Magistrates Court for the alleged offence. The Court did not take his plea after the prosecutor, Mr. Christopher John, asked the Court to refer the matter to t...

UNSATISFIED Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Sarcastically Responds To 87-Rated FIFA 21 Card As Arsenal Talisman Receives Same Rating As Last Year

It’s safe to say Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang isn’t very happy about his FIFA 21 rating. The Gunners’ talisman has been handed an 87 rating for the new edition of the game – the same rating he was in FIFA 19. And the Gabon international has sarcastically responded to his card with a laughing face emoji. Aubameyang had another superb season for the Gunners, hitting 22 Premier League goals for Mikel Arteta’s side – the same he managed last year. However, the 31-year-old played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph, netting a brace against Chelsea to seal a first trophy in management for Arteta. Meanwhile, it is understood Aubameyang will ‘imminently’ sign a new three-year contract at the Emirates. It is understood he will become the club’s highest earner on his new deal, surpassing Mesut Ozil’s reported £350,000-a-week wages. The report adds Arteta has been integral in talks to keep the 31-year-old striker in north London. Former Arsenal head of football Raul Sanllehi is believed to ha...

New York-based Nigerian Doctor Tests Positive For Coronavirus

A young Nigerian doctor based in New York, United States, Damilola Odutola, has tested positive for Coronavirus. He made the announcement in a video on his Instagram page on Saturday, encouraging people to take more caution and protect themselves. He said, “Today I tested positive for COVID. Last week I had quite serious symptoms that only a few know about; but I’m out of it now. “Thanks to my friends and family for your prayers, messages and care. We will all overcome this, I’m praying for me and my colleagues here in NYC for protection and for those that think it’s a joke. “Please stay at home and help flatten the curve.”