Geoffrey Hinton, the oft-named godfather of AI, has gotten into a row with Elon Musk on the billionaire’s own social media platform over his Fellowship at the prestigious Royal Society’s scientific institution.
The 365-year-old Royal Society is set to hold a meeting on Monday to debate “principles around public pronouncements and behaviours of Fellows,” after thousands of academics co-signed an open letter calling for Musk to be removed for breaching its code of conduct.
Stephen Curry, a biologist who penned the letter, said Musk should be banned after attacking Dr Anthony Fauci and labeling MP Jess Phillips a “rape genocide apologist,” behavior made all the more serious following his placement at the head of DOGE, which Curry argued hurt the scientific community.
Two members of the Royal Society resigned their Fellowships in protest at Musk.
Hinton, who has been a Fellow at the institution since 1998, is the latest scientist to provide a brutal assessment of Musk on the billionaire’s own platform X and of his unsuitability for a Fellowship.
“I think Elon Musk should be expelled from the British Royal Society. Not because he peddles conspiracy theories and makes Nazi salutes, but because of the huge damage he is doing to scientific institutions in the US. Now let's see if he really believes in free speech.”
Hinton was referencing Musk’s salute to crowds after the inauguration of Donald Trump, which replicated a fascist salute. Musk denied the accusations, accusing critics of a “dirty tricks campaign.”
Hinton’s post on Sunday elicited a furious response from Musk, who is at risk of experiencing the first expulsion from the Royal Society in more than 150 years.
Only craven, insecure fools care about awards and memberships. History is the actual judge, always and forever.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2025
Your comments above are carelessly ignorant, cruel and false.
That said, what specific actions require correction? I will make mistakes, but endeavor to fix them…
“Only craven, insecure fools care about awards and memberships. History is the actual judge, always and forever,” wrote Musk.
“Your comments above are carelessly ignorant, cruel and false.
“That said, what specific actions require correction? I will make mistakes, but endeavor to fix them fast.”
Musk and Hinton’s history
Musk and new Nobel Prize winner Hinton’s trading of jabs on X marks a turn for the worse in the pair’s complex relationship.
Speaking to the Globe and Mail last year, Hinton admitted he made up an excuse to get off a call with Musk after 20 minutes after the billionaire “started rambling.” Musk had been in touch with Hinton to ask if he would sit on an advisory board focused on AI safety.
“He’s not going to like that. Because him being the center of attention, that’s what he wants. I don’t think he’s my friend anymore,” Hinton said at the time.
However, Musk and Hinton have long been aligned on the need for AI safety, with both sitting on the hawkish side of the argument that the technology could overpower humanity.
In December, Hinton put his differences with Musk aside to publicly back his lawsuit against Musk’s fellow foe, Altman.
Upon receiving his Nobel Prize in Physics last October, Hinton highlighted his pride for his students at the University of Toronto, calling out one in particular, Ilya Sutskever, after an OpenAI boardroom coup in 2023.
“They’ve gone on to do great things,” Hinton said. “I’m particularly proud of the fact that one of my students fired Sam Altman. And I think I better leave it there.
