In a surprising turn of events, tech magnate Elon Musk made his debut appearance at the prestigious World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, where he openly mocked former US President Donald Trump's newly announced Board of Peace.
A Notable Reversal in Stance
This appearance marks a significant reversal for the billionaire entrepreneur, who has previously been a vocal critic of the Davos forum. In past years, Musk has derided the event as an "unelected world government" that operates without public consent, even claiming he had turned down invitations because he found it "boring."
Mocking the Peace Board
During his conversation with Laurence Fink, BlackRock's CEO and interim co-chair of the forum, Musk couldn't resist taking a dig at Trump's initiative. He suggested the name should rather be "piece," quipping about acquiring "a little piece of Greenland, a little piece of Venezuela."
"We're gonna make this interesting," Musk declared before immediately targeting the former president. "I heard about the formation of the Peace Summit and I thought is that piece or ... a little piece of Greenland a little piece of Venezuela," he elaborated, drawing laughter from the audience.
Previous Criticism of Davos
Musk's history with the World Economic Forum has been contentious. In 2023, he took to his social media platform X to troll the elite meeting, writing in one post: "We shouldn't be obsessed with WEF/Davos, but they take themselves sooo seriously that making fun of them is awesome."
In another instance, he accused the WEF of "increasingly becoming an unelected world government that the people never asked for and don't want." A forum spokesman responded that year by clarifying Musk hadn't been invited, despite his claims to have declined an invitation.
Current Business Disputes
Musk's Davos appearance comes amid an ongoing war of words with Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, which began with disagreements over installing Starlink systems on Ryanair aircraft. O'Leary recently dismissed Musk's suggestion that he might purchase the budget airline, adding another layer to the billionaire's current business engagements.
The tech titan's participation in the forum represents a notable shift in his public engagement with global economic and political discussions, even as he maintains his characteristic irreverent approach to established institutions and figures.
