With sexist jokes, Elon Musk's tweets sink to a new low

He crossed a line, and Tesla and SpaceX need to act.
 By 
Rachel Kraus
 on 
With sexist jokes, Elon Musk's tweets sink to a new low

Don't understand why the tech industry is facing a reckoning over misogyny and harassment? Just look at Elon Musk’s tweets.

Take a huge sigh, like I just did, because the world's richest man and maybe it's first future trillionaire decided now would be a great time to make a joke on Twitter about boobs.

There was the time his tweets got him punished by both the SEC and the Tesla board, and the time his tweets got him sued for defamation (though he won that lawsuit). But in terms of grossness, these take the cake.

It's just... bad. Basically, he made up an acronym that spells the word "tits." Don't worry, it gets worse in the thread. If you thought he was just, like, making an acronym joke — no, it's a boobs joke.

"Lighten up," you might say. "It's just a joke!" Silly Elon!

Imagine if this man was your boss. What if he made this joke to you. It's safe to say that would be grounds for an investigation, if not an outright firing. Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company need to say something. How is this man your leader?

As one of the leaders of the Apple Too movement, Cher Scarlett, points out, it's no wonder there's a toxic culture of sexism in tech.

That's it. We're done here. I need to go get this horrible taste out of my mouth, stat. Also, Grimes, wherever you are, I am so happy for you, girl.

UPDATE: Oct. 29, 2021, 9:03 p.m. EDT Later, Musk tweeted a non-apology that could be read as an admission that he messed up, or a sarcastic side step. Cool.

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Rachel Kraus

Rachel Kraus is a Mashable Tech Reporter specializing in health and wellness. She is an LA native, NYU j-school graduate, and writes cultural commentary across the internetz.

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