Wes Streeting appeared shocked when he was compared to Elon Musk during a live TV interview on Wednesday, 13 November.
The health secretary appeared on Sky News to detail government plans to name and shame failing NHS hospitals in league tables.
Managers will be sacked if they cannot improve patient care and take control of finances in a package of measures aimed at tackling poor performance.
When asked if he and the billionaire X owner share similar sentiments towards driving government efficiency, Mr Streeting laughed: "That was not the comparison I was expecting this morning."
