Elon Musk was named Time’s Person of the Year, but Senator Elizabeth Warren didn’t take it too well. The result was a Twitter tirade.
Senator Warren: Elon Musk must pay taxes
It all stemmed from a tweet by the US senator, a well-known Bitcoin detractor, commenting on Elon Musk’s nomination for Person of the Year:
Let’s change the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else. https://t.co/jqQxL9Run6
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) December 13, 2021
“Let’s change the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else”.
The unspoken reference would be to funds Tesla has received in the past from the US government. Elon Musk could not passively accept such an attack.
Earlier, the Tesla CEO shared a Fox News article in which the senator is heavily criticized for alleged lies. The headline is emblematic:
“Elizabeth Warren is a fraud — Her lies about being Native American disqualify her from presidency”.
Musk retorted again in the tweet feed:
“You remind me of when I was a kid and my friend’s angry Mom would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason”.
Dogecoin on Elon Musk’s side
It was at this point that Billy Markus, creator of Dogecoin, joined the debate and defended Tesla’s CEO. In his view, certain politicians only risk holding back innovation:
“[I’m] pretty sure politicians want all the innovators to move somewhere else so America can just be the land of handouts and debt without actually creating anything”.
The issue of taxes
Senator Warren seems to be arguing that the Man of the Year doesn’t pay enough taxes. For the man of the year is also the richest man in the world ever, at least according to Forbes.
This is precisely what makes Elon Musk the biggest contributor to the state coffers, not a tax evader.
In another tweet, Musk pointed out, addressing the senator:
“And if you opened your eyes for 2 seconds, you would realize I will pay more taxes than any American in history this year.
Don’t spend it all at once … oh wait you did already”.
Senator Warren never responded to this roundup of chirps.
It is worth adding that Tesla is not at all dependent on the US government. It received support from the government, it is true, but it is also true that it repaid the debt in 2013, nine years earlier than originally agreed.
In short, the US government bailed out Tesla, Tesla repaid the funding it received and created one of the most important automotive giants in the US. Which, incidentally, also employs thousands of people.
Senator Warren should take this into account.
The post Elon Musk and the fight with Senator Elizabeth Warren appeared first on The Cryptonomist.
