Elon Musk’s beef with Mark Cuban escalates as Tesla CEO blasts the Shark Tank star as a ‘liar’ over work policy – TC
ELON Musk’s feud with Mark Cuban has taken another turn after he accused the Shark Tank star of being a liar over a workplace policy.
The Tesla CEO got into a debate on X, formerly known as Twitter, on discussing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies at Harvard University.
Elon Musk got into a heated debate with Mark Cuban over diversity and inclusion policies in the workplaceCredit: Getty
Cuban took to X to share why he supports DEI policiesCredit: Getty
Earlier this month, Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman shared a lengthy tweet on Claudine Gay’s resignation as the university’s president following claims of antisemitism on campus and accusations of plagiarism.
Musk reposted the essay with the caption, “DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it.”
Cuban who recently sold a majority interest in the Dallas Mavericks but still has operational control of the team, offered a counter to Musk’s claims in a series of tweets about the importance of DEI programs.
“Good businesses look where others don’t, to find the employees that will put your business in the best possible position to succeed,” Cuban wrote.
The debate continued for several days but escalated after another X user shared an article about United Airlines wanting 50% of trained pilots to be women or people of color.
The user then shared a quote attributed to Cuban which said, “DEl does not mean you don’t hire on merit. Of course, you hire based on merit.”
Musk responded to the tweet, saying: “The airline industry can’t find enough qualified pilots even without insane DEI requirements!”
However, Cuban defended United Airlines, suggesting that the targets applied to the aviation academy and not the airline itself.
“This is a training school. Once they graduate, it’s a multi-year process to have an OPPORTUNITY to pilot for United,” said Cuban.
“BTW, looks like multiple layers of merit-based evaluations before they can fly for United…”
Musk, however, simply replied to Cuban’s explanation with, “You are a liar.”
DEI policies are a hotly debated subject within the business community.
There are some, like Musk, who believe DEI incentives are counterproductive or even discriminatory.
However, others, like Cuban, believe DEI is key in tapping into a diverse talent pool and can greatly benefit business operations to make a company more competitive.
In the Fall 2023 Fortune/Deloitte CEO Survey, a majority of leaders said that DEI is part of their strategic priorities (65%) and their Board requests regular updates on DEI progress (58%).
Musk clapped back at Cuban, mentioning the Dallas Mavericks, before calling Cuban a ‘liar’Credit: Reuters
Cuban didn’t step down and opened discussion with others on X about the topic
