Mark Cuban used Elon Musk’s social media platform X to accuse his fellow tech billionaire of trying to become “the most powerful person in the world” at any cost.
“Anyone consider that maybe Elon’s mission, is for Elon to get what he wants, rather than the country to get what you voted for?” Cuban posted Thursday.
Cuban has more than 9 million X followers compared to Musk’s 216.3 million.
Musk’s influence in Washington, D.C. after spending nearly $300 million to help President Trump get elected has raised concern among critics who believe the world’s richest man’s influence over federal agencies and apparent access to information on private citizens is problematic. Protesters nationwide gathered outside state capitals to voice disapproval Wednesday.
Cuban conceded it’s not uncommon for people to look out for their own interests, but accused Musk of protecting “brand Elon at all costs” including controlling operations at X.
“The censorship of the platform you adore is in the hands of a single person, who is on a mission to make himself the most powerful person in the world,” Cuban told X users. “Above and beyond the President of the United States.”
Musk billed himself as a “free speech absolutist” before purchasing Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and rebranding it as X. He’s since used the platform to promote his right-wing politics and worked to stifle watchdog groups that accuse him of enabling hate speech. While X’s value plummeted to $19 billion after Musk’s purchase, according to a 2023 New York Times report, Bloomberg estimates his personal worth skyrocketed 77% to top exceed $400 million after Trump was elected.
Trump issued an executive order to launch the Department of Government Efficiency on Inauguration Day with Musk as its leader. Its stated goal is to cut government spending. Musk has since used X to aggressively promote the Trump administration’s agenda.
Harvard University political scientist Steven Levitsky called that dynamic “a combination of economic, media and political power that I believe has never been seen before in any democracy on Earth.”
Many X users took issue with Cuban’s criticism of Musk on X.
“Yet he allows you to post this,” noted one self-described “truth seeking patriot.”