Elon Musk put the torch to Mark Cuban over his support for diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology (DEI). On Monday night, and into Tuesday morning, Musk lambasted his fellow billionaire, referring to Cuban’s espousal of DEI as “ridiculous overcompensation regarding racism,” and attached a video from CBS News in which Cuban admitted “I know I am prejudiced, I know I am bigoted in a lot of different ways” and “if I see a black kid in a hoodie at night on the same side of the street, I’m probably going to walk to the other side of the street.” Musk commented that the “same thing happened with #MeToo guys who got bust suddenly becoming fake ardent feminists.”
Musk did not stop there, ridiculing Cuban as a “racist” for supporting DEI and adding that “if mental gymnastics were a sport, Mark Cuban would be a perfect 10.”
Musk then raised the possibility of a cage match between himself and Cuban, quipping “UFC, anyone?” Cuban, according to Forbes, refused to accept the offer, replying “lol no” when asked if he had any response to Elon’s challenge.
The tweet storm isn’t Musk’s first foray into the field of opposition to DEI. On Tuesday, Musk weighted in on the prospect of incorporating DEI policies into the hiring of airline pilots and maintenance personnel. Musk commented that engaging in such hiring practices could hold dire consequences, and that “it will take an airplane crashing and killing hundreds of people for them to change this crazy policy.” Musk also noted that the airline industry “can’t find enough qualified pilots even without insane DEI requirements.”
It was once a common practice to light up a Cuban for celebratory purposes. Yet, on this occasion, opponents of DEI can celebrate the smoking of a different kind of Cuban.