Elon Musk said on Tuesday that he is committed to being the chief executive of Tesla Motors for another five years, unless he "dies", while threatening jail time to those who have turned against the company over his role in the US government.
"I can't be CEO if I'm dead," the world's wealthiest person said in an online interview to delegates at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha.
He said his $100 billion pay package, and whatever compensation he may get in the future, is justified and does not affect his intention to remain at the helm of the company.
Mr Musk touted Tesla's sales and financial performance – despite it tanking in recent months – and the "millions" of humanoid robots the company is building.
"I think, obviously, there should be compensation for if ... something incredible was done," he said. "I'm confident that whatever some activist posing as a judge in Delaware happens to do will not affect the future compensation," he added, referring to Chancery Court Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, who struck down Mr Musk's pay package in December when it was worth $56 billion.
"I can't be sitting there and wanting to get tossed out for political reasons by activists," he added, while declining to discuss the matter further.
Mr Musk has also threatened people who have damaged Tesla stores and sent him death threats, saying that authorities will come after them and they "deserve" to go to jail.
"They're on the wrong side of history and that's an evil thing to do ... I've not harmed anyone, so something needs to be done about them, and a number of them are going to prison and they deserve it," he said. "The people that funded them and organised them will also go to prison."
Mr Musk said he was pushing through with his lawsuit against OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and of which he was an early backer. Mr Musk and OpenAI boss Sam Altman have exchanged barbs and insults, after the former accused the company of diverging from its non-profit goal. Mr Altman responded by saying Mr Musk was insecure and regretted leaving the company.
“I came up with the name OpenAI as open-source … intended to be a non-profit company, and now, they're trying to change that for their own financial benefit into a for-profit company that is closed-source,” said Mr Musk, who provided about $50 million in initial funding.
“So this would be like, let's say you funded a non-profit to help preserve the Amazon rainforest, but instead of doing that, they became a lumber company, took down the forest and sold the wood.”
Things turned testy when Mr Musk was asked if there was any conflict of interest with Starlink’s potential entry into South Africa, where he was born, especially after a Bloomberg report on Tuesday said Johannesburg might bend the rules for his company, especially as President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Washington to meet US President Donald Trump.
He griped against the country’s Black Economic Empowerment laws, which require that black company ownership ranges between 25 per cent and 100 per cent.
“Why are there racist laws in South Africa? That’s the first question,” he said, challenging the host, Bloomberg Weekend editor-at-large Mishal Husain, to answer the question on conflict of interest.
“I'm in this absurd situation where I was born in South Africa but can't get a licence to operate Starlink because I'm not black,” he added. Mr Musk also did not rule out a potential initial public offering for Starlink.
As for his role in the US government – he is a special government employee leading the Department of Government Efficiency – he defended his actions to slash federal spending that have cost people jobs and prompted widespread anger, saying he and his team are not "dictators" and merely serve as advisers to the government, which ultimately has the final decision.
He also pushed back at reports that the vast downsizing at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) would result in the deaths of more people, with vital supplies cut off.
Mr Musk also took aim at Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who two weeks ago accused Mr Musk of “killing” children with cuts made to USAID.
“Who does Bill Gates think he is to make comments about the welfare of children, given that he was close friends with Jeffrey Epstein?” Mr Musk said, referring to the disgraced US financier who died in prison while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges.
Donating your hair
• Your hair should be least 30 cms long, as some of the hair is lost during manufacturing of the wigs.
• Clean, dry hair in good condition (no split ends) from any gender, and of any natural colour, is required.
• Straight, wavy, curly, permed or chemically straightened is permitted.
• Dyed hair must be of a natural colour
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERemedy%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Microsoft%20Game%20Studios%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%204%20%26amp%3B%205%2C%20Xbox%3A%20360%20%26amp%3B%20One%20%26amp%3B%20Series%20X%2FS%20and%20Nintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
