Elon Musk has said he’s willing to sell Tesla stock if a United Nations official is able to prove exactly how 2 per cent of the billionaire’s income would solve world hunger - in perhaps the most surreal Twitter conversation ever.
It began when Dr. Eli David shared an image of a CNN Business article with the headline: “2% of Elon Musk’s wealth could solve world hunger, says director of UN food scarcity organization.”
This article was in reference to the comments made by David Beasley, director of the UN’s World Food Program in a CNN interview where he urged billionaires to do their part to help millions of people.
“The governments are tapped out. This is why and this is when, the billionaires need to step up now, on a one-time basis,” Beasley told CNN.
“$6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don’t reach them. It’s not complicated.”
On Twitter, Dr. David pointed out that “2% of @elonmusk’s wealth is $6B” and “In 2020, the UN World Food Program (WFP) raised $8.4B,” he then asks: “How come it didn’t “solve world hunger?”
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The tweet appeared to alert the Tesla and Space X CEO as he replied to the tweet with a life-changing pledge - but there was a catch...
Musk tweeted: “If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.”
If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2021
In a follow-up tweet, he also added another condition of “open source accounting” if he did give the WFP the huge sum of money “so the public sees precisely how the money is spent.”
But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2021
Beasley then replied to Musk to insist that the headline was “not accurate” and further elaborated that “$6B will not solve world hunger, but it WILL prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million people on the brink of starvation. An unprecedented crisis and a perfect storm due to Covid/conflict/climate crises.”
.@elonmusk! Headline not accurate. $6B will not solve world hunger, but it WILL prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million people on the brink of starvation. An unprecedented crisis and a perfect storm due to Covid/conflict/climate crises.
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 31, 2021
Keen to get the ball rolling, Beasley then attempted to reassure the billionaire that the UN has “systems in place for transparency and open source accounting.”
He added: “Your team can review and work with us to be totally confident of such.”
I can assure you that we have the systems in place for transparency and open source accounting. Your team can review and work with us to be totally confident of such.
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 31, 2021
In another tweet, Beasley urged Musk that with his help he can “bring hope, build stability and change the future.”
“Let’s talk: It isn’t as complicated as Falcon Heavy, but too much at stake to not at least have a conversation,” he added referring to the 2018 Space X launch.
The director ended the tweet by sharing his willingness to talk: “I can be on the next flight to you. Throw me out if you don’t like what you hear!”
.@elonmusk With your help we can bring hope, build stability and change the future.
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 31, 2021
Let’s talk: It isn’t as complicated as Falcon Heavy, but too much at stake to not at least have a conversation. I can be on the next flight to you. Throw me out if you don’t like what you hear!
Musk then replied requesting Beasley to publish his organisations current and proposed spending “in detail so people can see exactly where money goes.”
“Sunlight is a wonderful thing,” he added.
Please publish your current & proposed spending in detail so people can see exactly where money goes.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2021
Sunlight is a wonderful thing.
There hasn’t been any online dialogue between the two since Musk’s request for spending to be published, so we can only hope the conversation continued offline.
Last month, Beasley called on Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos via Twitter to “help us save 42M people from starvation for just $6.6B!!”
Congratulations to @elonmusk for passing up @JeffBezos as the world’s richest person - worth a whopping $221B! 🥇 Elon, to celebrate I’m offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity: help us save 42M people from starvation for just $6.6B!! Offer expires SOON.. and lives do too.
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) October 19, 2021
Just on Monday (October 25th) Musk added more than $36 billion to his fortune in a single day when the Tesla share price spiked 12.7 per cent as a result of car rental company Hertz is ordering 100,000 cars, Bloomberg reported.
He is now worth more than $292 billion and as the world’s richest man, he is now almost $100 billion ahead of the former number one billionaire Jeff Bezos who is currently worth $195 billion as of November 1, according to Forbes.
