Sam Harris' INCREDIBLY DISTURBING texts with Elon Musk

Summary

Sam Harris recounts the collapse of his friendship with Elon Musk, which began in early 2020 when Harris warned Musk about his dismissive tweets on COVID-19. Despite Harris's concerns, Musk maintained his stance, even betting Harris $1 million that COVID cases in the U.S. wouldn't exceed 35,000. As the pandemic progressed, Musk's predictions proved disastrously wrong, yet he never acknowledged his mistake. Instead, he began attacking Harris on social media. Harris argues that Musk’s erratic behavior makes him unfit for any position of power, especially in critical matters, revealing troubling traits of instability and defensiveness.

Takeaways

• 😀 Sam Harris faced backlash after discussing Elon Musk on Bill Maher's Club Random Podcast.
• 😀 Harris published a piece called 'The Trouble with Elon' to address the criticism and explain his side.
• 😀 Harris shared text exchanges with Elon Musk that reveal Musk's unstable views on the pandemic.
• 😀 Sam worried Musk's tweets on coronavirus could harm his reputation and worsen the public health crisis.
• 😀 Musk downplayed the severity of Covid, citing misinformation from the CDC, leading to a disagreement with Harris.
• 😀 Harris attempted to challenge Musk's perspective, offering to assist in ventilator production during the pandemic.
• 😀 The tension between Harris and Musk escalated after Musk bet $1 million against Harris on Covid cases in the U.S.
• 😀 Despite the bet, Musk continued to dismiss data presented by Harris as cases rapidly surpassed Musk's prediction.
• 😀 Harris confronted Musk about the bet when Covid deaths and cases exceeded the agreed-upon limits, which ended their friendship.
• 😀 Musk responded by publicly maligning Harris, which further confirmed Harris's distrust in Musk's decision-making ability.
• 😀 Harris argues that Musk's handling of the pandemic and his behavior afterward show that Musk should not hold influential power, especially in political matters.

Q & A

What caused Sam Harris's friendship with Elon Musk to fall apart?

Sam Harris's friendship with Elon Musk began to deteriorate after a disagreement regarding Elon’s tweets about the coronavirus in March 2020. Elon Musk downplayed the severity of the pandemic, while Sam Harris, concerned for public health, tried to convince him to reconsider his stance.

How did Sam Harris attempt to warn Elon Musk about his coronavirus tweets?

Sam Harris sent Elon Musk a private text urging him to walk back his tweet about coronavirus, explaining that the way it was perceived could harm Musk’s reputation and exacerbate the public health emergency.

What was Elon Musk’s initial response to Sam Harris’s concern about the coronavirus tweet?

Elon Musk dismissed Sam Harris’s concerns by providing a link to a CDC page that claimed Covid-19 wasn't among the top 100 causes of death in the U.S., which Sam Harris considered a misguided point in the early days of the pandemic.

What was the nature of the bet between Sam Harris and Elon Musk regarding Covid-19 cases?

Sam Harris and Elon Musk made a bet in which Elon wagered $1 million to charity against a bottle of tequila, predicting there would be fewer than 35,000 Covid-19 cases in the U.S. Sam Harris disagreed, predicting a far higher number of cases.

How did Sam Harris respond after the Covid-19 cases surpassed Elon Musk's bet?

After the number of cases surpassed Musk's bet, Sam Harris texted him asking if 35,000 deaths plus 600,000 cases were more than 35,000 cases, which was the basis of their bet. This question marked the end of their communication and their friendship.

What was Elon Musk’s reaction to Sam Harris’s text about the bet?

Elon Musk never responded to Sam Harris’s text about the bet and subsequently began publicly attacking him on Twitter, which further deepened the rift between them.

What does Sam Harris claim about Elon Musk's behavior after their friendship ended?

Sam Harris claims that after their friendship ended, Elon Musk started maligning him on Twitter, accusing him of offensive actions that were not based on any real events.

Why does the script question Elon Musk’s trustworthiness in decision-making?

The script questions Elon Musk’s trustworthiness in decision-making due to his public misjudgment of the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as his uncooperative and defensive behavior after losing the bet, which suggests a lack of maturity and sound judgment.

How does Sam Harris justify his truthfulness about the text exchanges with Elon Musk?

Sam Harris justifies his truthfulness by stating that anyone who knows both of them would recognize that his account of the text exchanges is accurate and that he has no reason to fabricate such communications.

What are the broader implications of Elon Musk’s behavior for his involvement in powerful positions?

The broader implication is that, based on his behavior during the pandemic and his untrustworthy reactions to being proven wrong, Elon Musk should not hold significant power or influence, especially in roles closely tied to governmental leadership, as he demonstrated a lack of responsibility and proper judgment.