Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to criticism from Russian Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov via Twitter on Wednesday. Musk tweeted that aside from chess, Kasparov “is otherwise an idiot” and a “douche.”
In an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Monday, Kasparov advocates of “some kind of settlement,” as host Andrew Sorkin framed the question, between Russia and Ukraine. Kasparov called the concept “moral idiocy and total ignorance of lessons of history.”
In particular, Kasparov accused Musk of “moral idiocy and geopolitical blindness,” after the Tesla CEO suggested Ukraine could potentially cede Crimea and the city of Sevastapol to Russia in exchange for peace. (RELATED: Tech Magnate Elon Musk Draws Criticism From Zelensky After Peace Plan Twitter Poll)
“The cost is huge but Ukraine is paying this cost. So why are people sitting in the comfort of their mansions in Silicon Valley telling Ukraine how to conduct their own affairs,” says @Kasparov63 of @elonmusk. “It’s moral idiocy and geopolitical blindness.” pic.twitter.com/Iz2wnU2uDC
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) October 24, 2022
Responding to critics who question the cost of aiding Ukraine, Kasparov told Sorkin, “The cost is huge but Ukraine is paying this cost,” before adding, “So why are people sitting in the comfort of their mansions in Silicon Valley telling Ukraine how to conduct their own affairs?”
Musk replied to the Squawk Box Twitter clip saying, “While it’s true that Kasparov is almost as good at playing chess as my iPhone, he is otherwise an idiot”
“And I don’t even own a house, let alone a “mansion”, you douche,” he added, in a follow-up tweet,
And I don’t even own a house, let alone a “mansion”, you douche
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 24, 2022
Continuing on a tangent concerning his living situation, Musk explained, “I’m back to spare bedroom/couch surfing at friend’s houses in Silicon Valley, which I did for about a decade.”
“Frankly, I like it this way, as I get to see my friends, who I love, more often,” he tweeted.
Yeah, I’m back to spare bedroom /couch surfing at friend’s houses in Silicon Valley, which I did for about a decade.
Frankly, I like it this way, as I get to see my friends, who I love, more often.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 24, 2022
Kasparov has become known as a political commentator and ardent opponent of Russia’s Vladimir Putin since his retirement from chess in 2005 according to The New York Post. He currently resides in the Croatian Adriatic seaside resort town of Makarska per The Guardian. As reported by The New York Times in 2009, he also purchased a $3.4 million penthouse in New York City for his wife Daria.