Elon Musk calls Vinod Khosla 'dumb' in Twitter feud over Argentina's economy

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla clashed in a fiery social media spat that quickly went viral. The tech titans locked horns over Argentina’s economy, specifically President Javier Milei 's conservative policies.

Musk, a well-known fan of Milei's libertarian ideals, didn’t hold back when Khosla criticized the Argentinian leader's austerity program . Musk fired off a blunt reply, calling Khosla “dumb” and sparking a heated exchange.

It all began when Khosla shared a Financial Times article, accusing Milei of wrecking Argentina’s economy with Trump-like policies. "Argentina's unemployment rate soars to 52% under Milei’s dictatorial austerity program," Khosla tweeted, warning that Trump's return to power could lead to similar economic turmoil.

Argentinas unemployment rate soars to 52% under Mileis dictatorial austerity program. Same will happen under @realDonaldTrump as he slashes spending. His tariffs will simultaneously increase inflation. https://t.co/sLxAxhEiVJ

— Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) September 27, 2024

His post triggered a flurry of reactions, with Musk at the forefront, disputing Khosla’s claim with a sharp “dumb” retort.

How did Khosla not think this through. A 52% unemployment rate is just absurd, it should have triggered something in his brain to say this doesn't seem right.

— Adam Lowisz (@AdamLowisz) September 28, 2024

Khosla’s alarming statistic turned out to be inaccurate. X’s community notes quickly fact-checked the claim, showing Argentina’s unemployment rate at 7.6%, not the outrageous 52% Khosla suggested. The slip-up didn’t stop Khosla from doubling down, however, as he fired back at Musk, calling out the “macho brains” of the tech mogul and accusing him of being biased on his own platform, X (formerly Twitter).

Poverty is gross underemployment. Too nuanced for macho brains to understand. My nuance vs. your outright posting of false pics? I get a community comment and yours didn’t. I thought you were above this kind of bias at X. https://t.co/roEVT9mxVI

— Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) September 29, 2024

The feud took another twist when Musk sarcastically chimed in on a user comment mocking Khosla for the massive error. Khosla, refusing to retreat, responded, "Poverty is gross underemployment. Too nuanced for macho brains to understand," accusing Musk of pushing false narratives while enjoying selective immunity from community comments.

As the online skirmish unfolded, CNN added fuel to the fire with a report highlighting Argentina’s skyrocketing poverty rate under Milei. The country has seen 3.4 million more people fall into poverty in 2024 alone, with nearly 53% of Argentinians now affected—a number that has set social media ablaze as Musk and Khosla continue their digital brawl.