Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter, now rebranded as X, has sparked significant changes, affecting both the social media platform and Musk’s personal and professional reputation. According to Ben Mezrich, author of Breaking Twitter, Musk’s acquisition has caused him numerous problems, in one case leaving Twitter employees on the verge of calling the police to prevent the billionaire from harming himself.
CNBC reports Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has recently been the subject of discussions concerning the impact of his Twitter acquisition on his mental health. According to Ben Mezrich, author of Breaking Twitter, the takeover of the social media giant has had a profound effect on Musk’s well-being.
Elon Musk looks puzzled (Anadolu Agency/Getty)
Mezrich highlighted a particularly troubling incident where Musk locked himself in his office, prompting Twitter employees to consider calling for a wellness check. This incident underscores the intense pressure and stress that Musk was under while managing the social media site. “He got to a point where he locked himself in his office, was so upset that the Twitter employees were considering calling in a wellness check by the San Francisco police because they thought he was going to self-harm,” Mezrich explained.
The acquisition of Twitter and the subsequent challenges appear to have marked a turning point for Musk. Mezrich pointed out several incidents that contributed to Musk’s distress, including a public episode where he was booed at a Dave Chappelle comedy show. This event was a shock to Musk, as he later expressed on social media, noting the mixed reaction from the audience. “It’s almost as if I’ve offended SF’s unhinged leftists … but nahhh,” Musk remarked following the incident.
Another particularly striking detail is Musk’s profanity-laden jibe directed at Zuckerberg during the signing of the Twitter deal. This revelation came to light during Mezrich’s appearance on a podcast, where he recounted the scene of Musk signing the Twitter takeover papers. According to Mezrich, “In the book, there’s a scene when Musk signs the papers to take over Twitter, the first thing he screams out is, ‘Fuck Zuck! Fuck Zuck!’ — which I haven’t seen reported anywhere else.”
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.