Musk Flirts With Ryanair Acquisition Amid Starlink Feud
Elon Musk escalated his week-long spat with Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary by floating a potential acquisition of the European budget airline. The Tesla billionaire polled X users about buying Ryanair to 'restore Tony Ryan as their rightful ruler,' referencing the carrier's late founder.
The conflict originated when O'Leary rejected installing SpaceX's Starlink internet on Ryanair planes, citing fuel efficiency concerns from antenna weight. Musk dismissed these technical objections as uninformed, triggering a fiery exchange where O'Leary called Musk 'a very wealthy idiot' and the tech mogul retaliated by labeling the airline executive an 'utter idiot.'
Both disruptors have transformed their respective industries—O'Leary building Ryanair into Europe's dominant discount carrier over 30 years, while Musk revolutionized electric vehicles and space launches. The CEO stands to earn €100 million in 2028 if performance targets are met, though his wealth remains dwarfed by Musk's empire.