Entertainment

Billie Eilish Calls Elon Musk ‘Pathetic’

By Jake Beardslee · November 15, 2025

Billie Eilish is intensifying her criticism of the ultra-wealthy, aiming her latest remarks at Elon Musk after Tesla shareholders approved a compensation plan that could one day make him the world’s first trillionaire. The pop star, who recently challenged billionaire culture during her WSJ Innovator Awards speech, condemned the Tesla CEO following the vote earlier this month.

On Thursday, Nov. 13, Eilish reposted an Instagram graphic from the My Voice, My Choice initiative that outlined hypothetical philanthropic uses of Musk’s potential future wealth. The suggestions included spending $40 billion annually to fight global hunger, $10 billion each year to vaccinate 140 million newborns for the next century, and $53.2 billion to rebuild Gaza. After sharing the slides, Eilish added her own blunt commentary in an Instagram Story, calling Musk “pathetic” and a “coward,” along with several expletives.

Musk is not yet a trillionaire, but the Nov. 6 shareholder decision grants him shares worth trillions if Tesla meets ambitious financial and operational goals over the next decade. Reuters reported that Tesla’s market value would need to reach $8.5 trillion, with benchmarks that include boosting paid subscriptions for its self-driving software to 10 million and selling one million humanlike robots. “What we’re about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla, but a whole new book,” Musk told shareholders.

During negotiations, Musk also signaled that his availability could shift if the deal failed, saying he might prioritize companies like SpaceX or Neuralink instead, according to Reuters. The CEO currently holds the title of world’s richest person.

Musk has made philanthropic contributions before, including signing Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge in 2012, which commits the wealthy to donate at least half their fortunes to charity. The Musk Foundation, which he founded in 2001 with his brother Kimbal, has donated over $450 million in the past three years. However, the New York Times reported that the foundation failed to meet the IRS requirement to distribute 5% of its assets in 2023 and the two prior years, falling short by $421 million last year alone.

Musk has defended his stance on charitable giving, arguing that his business ventures have a broader impact than traditional philanthropy. Last year, he told the New York Times that he has “done more for the environment than any single human on Earth.”