Yesterday, the internet went crazy over the latest Elon Musk Wikipedia tweet, which could be interpreted as an indecent proposal extended to the Wikimedia Foundation.
Elon Musk, the maverick CEO of Tesla and the man-in-charge of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, recently made an intriguing proposition to Wikipedia. In a tweet that caught the attention of many, Musk pledged a staggering one billion dollars to the online encyclopedia, but there was one condition attached – they had to rebrand themselves as “Dickipedia.”
I will give them a billion dollars if they change their name to Dickipedia https://t.co/wxoHQdRICy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 22, 2023
Background of the Elon Musk Wikipedia tweet
The offer sparked a lively exchange, with journalist Ed Krassenstein chiming in to support the idea, urging Wikipedia to take the plunge, to which Musk, with a touch of humor, replied:
One year minimum. I mean, I’m a not fool lol.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 22, 2023
This generous, albeit unconventional, offer emerged from Musk’s earlier criticism of the Wikimedia Foundation‘s substantial financial requests. Musk questioned the need for such a large sum, asserting that the entirety of Wikipedia’s content could fit on a mobile phone.
The Community Notes of the app swiftly responded to this Elon Musk Wikipedia tweet, shedding light on the immense scale of their operations – with over 25 billion monthly page views and 44 million monthly page edits, significant operating costs were indeed necessary. The Wikimedia Foundation also enlisted third-party financial auditors, ensuring transparency through publicly available reports.
This isn’t the first time Musk and Wikipedia have found themselves at odds. In May, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales took issue with Musk’s decision to restrict certain content on his social media platform in the lead-up to Turkey’s presidential election. Reports also surfaced of increased compliance with government requests for censorship and surveillance under Musk’s leadership.
In a prior endeavor, back in 2018, Musk announced his intention to launch Pravda, a platform where the public could rate the “core truth” of any article and track the credibility of journalists, editors, and publications.
Going to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication. Thinking of calling it Pravda …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018
This latest proposal to rename Wikipedia as “Dickipedia” is emblematic of Musk’s penchant for “thinking outside the box.” It’s a move that reflects his desire for a name that, at least for a year, mirrors what he believes to be an accurate representation of the platform.
The reactions to Musk’s offer were swift and varied. Suggestions ranged from Musk acquiring Wiki and integrating it into X/Twitter’s community note feature to creating an alternative encyclopedia altogether. Ian Bremmer even likened it to a challenge in a cage match, though this intriguing notion never materialized.
Some users took a more practical stance, suggesting that perhaps Musk should first settle his $44 billion loan for acquiring Twitter (now X) before embarking on this grand venture.
While Musk’s offer might seem audacious, it’s clear that it stems from a genuine desire to challenge the status quo and encourage open discourse. Whether Wikipedia takes him up on his offer remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure – Elon Musk continues to be a force of both innovation and disruption in the tech world.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk Wikipedia tweet is not the end of the funny remarks for the multi-billionaire, and if you wish to catch up with him, make sure to check out our article on why Elon Musk says that we are all working for a scam.
Featured image credit: Elon Musk on X
