Ryanair CEO Responds to Elon Musk’s Comments
On Wednesday, Ryanair’s chief executive brushed aside Elon Musk’s suggestion of purchasing the airline, while also disregarding the billionaire’s insults in a heated exchange regarding Musk’s Starlink system.
The tension has been growing. Recently, Michael O’Leary revealed that Ryanair decided not to adopt Musk’s Starlink satellite Wi-Fi due to the additional fuel costs associated with the needed antenna. It’s just not feasible, he explained.
In reply to Musk’s claim that he was “misinformed,” O’Leary responded on an Irish radio broadcast, stating, “I don’t pay any attention to Elon Musk—he’s an idiot.”
In retaliation, Musk took to his platform X, calling O’Leary a “total idiot” and a “moron.” He suggested the idea of buying Ryanair and humorously proposed appointing someone named Ryan to lead.
O’Leary, speaking from Ryanair’s Dublin headquarters, noted that non-European individuals can’t hold a majority stake in a European airline. Given that Musk was born in South Africa and resides in the U.S., this poses a legal limitation.
However, he noted that if Musk ever wanted to invest in Ryanair, that could be a smart move—possibly better than the returns he’s seeing from X, for what it’s worth.
Musk acquired X for $44 billion in 2022, following disputes with the platform’s previous executives.
O’Leary, known for his playful jabs at critics, seemed to welcome Musk’s outbursts as free publicity. He even launched a promotional campaign that featured Musk’s caricature.
He shrugged off Musk’s derogatory remarks, saying, “He has to join the very, very, very long line of people who have already insulted him, including my four teenage children.”
O’Leary mentioned that discussions about implementing the Starlink system had been ongoing for about a year. While he acknowledged that Starlink is effective, he noted that it would require around $250 million per year to maintain, largely due to installation and fuel costs.
Given the short nature of most flights, with an average duration of about an hour and 15 minutes, he estimated that only a small fraction—less than 5%—of passengers would likely be willing to pay extra for this service.
The airline is also exploring partnerships with other telecom companies, including Amazon, which is set to launch a competing service. O’Leary mentioned they’re looking for solutions that would help cut costs while still providing in-flight internet.
Lastly, he touched upon the recent uproar surrounding Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, which had been associated with generating deepfake images without consent. O’Leary didn’t hold back, criticizing social media, particularly X, saying, “It’s a cesspit,” and expressing his disgust over controversies involving inappropriate content.
