Elon Musk, throughout his tenure as CEO of Tesla, famously tried to take the corporate personal with the backing of the Saudi Public Investment Fund — a wealth fund immediately managed by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. Yet, it appears Musk not thinks such a transfer is viable or cheap for electrical automakers: The world’s second-richest man took to Twitter yesterday to deride Lucid for its Saudi funding.
Lucid is majority owned by the identical Saudi sovereign fund that Musk tried to promote Tesla to — the identical fund that still holds a considerable stake in Musk’s Twitter. It appears Musk has no concern working with the Saudi authorities, so why the animosity in the direction of its funding in his competitor?
Musk’s tone, plus the context of his social community’s crackdown on “sensitive content,” makes it clear his use of “sugar daddy” right here is derogatory — he sees Lucid as unable to face by itself, with out the backing of an authoritarian regime. That similar regime propped up Tesla throughout its developmental years, however Musk both doesn’t see or chooses to disregard the parallels. Saudi cash for me, not for thee.
There are, in fact, myriad causes to talk unwell of corporations that settle for funding from the Saudi royal household. Saudi Arabia routinely jails human rights advocates, bans them from journey lengthy after their sentences are served, and even commits mass executions for crimes like “disrupting the social fabric and national cohesion” or “in and inciting sit-ins and protest,” in keeping with Amnesty International.
Taking cash from a nation that legally requires ladies obey their husbands — or worse, taking an funding from that nation’s management in hopes of rising its wealth — is actually an ethical evil. Musk, nonetheless, has no leg to face on when decrying such habits. He doesn’t appear to oppose the Saudi regime, he’s simply upset that they’re backing his opponents.
Source: jalopnik.com