The public feud between tech billionaire Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary escalated this week, with Musk hinting at a potential acquisition of the European discount airline. The conflict originated from O'Leary's refusal to install SpaceX's Starlink internet service on Ryanair planes, citing concerns over added fuel costs from antenna weight and aerodynamic drag. Musk dismissed these concerns as misinformed, leading to a week-long exchange of insults on the social media platform X.
Musk took the dispute a step further by posting a poll on X, asking users "Should I buy Ryanair and restore Ryan as their rightful ruler?" He had previously asked how much the airline would cost and reiterated his view that Michael O'Leary should be removed. Ryanair, founded by Tony Ryan in 1984 and now valued at approximately €30 billion ($35 billion), saw its shares rise 2.3% following Musk's comments.
The situation has drawn parallels to Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter (now X) in 2022, which required significant sales of his Tesla stock and created volatility. Analysts note that a pursuit of Ryanair, while considered improbable, could necessitate Musk liquidating around 5% of his estimated $740 billion wealth, potentially from his Tesla holdings. This speculation contributed to investor anxiety, though Tesla's 4.2% stock drop on Tuesday was primarily attributed to broader market weakness from geopolitical tariff concerns.
Separately, Musk provided updates on Tesla's future projects, stating that production for the Cybercab robotaxi and Optimus humanoid robot would start "agonizingly slow" due to their complexity before eventually ramping up. Volume production of the Cybercab is targeted for 2026, with Optimus output hoped to begin late this year.
