It goes without saying that Elon Musk is a whimsical CEO. The list of his fantasies and declarations has grown ever longer since he established himself as one of the most charismatic business leaders. People say Musk as they say Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Yves Saint-Laurent.
He has applied his brand not just to Tesla's cars (TSLA) but to cryptocurrency and politics.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the businessman has established himself as one of the most fervent supporters of the Ukrainians.
The business leader, born in South Africa, notably sent Starlink terminals, manufactured by his other space company SpaceX, to enable Ukrainians to continue to access the internet despite Russian bombardments.
Tesla will also continue to pay its Ukrainian employees in the Europe-Mideast-Africa region who are conscripted.
The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is huge: It has caused hundreds of deaths and displaced millions of people.
Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine met again on Monday for another round of talks aimed at finding a way out of the war, even as Russian forces broadened their devastating offensive and the Kremlin insisted that it would not pull back until "all plans" for the invasion are fulfilled, The New York Times reported.
A Duel Between Musk and Putin
Musk wants to find a way out of this conflict. In a series of tweets on Monday, he appears to have an idea, which sounds like dueling, a 15th-century practice tied to the question of honor.
The billionaire has launched a challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He offers himself in a fight whose stake would be Ukraine.
"I hereby challenge Владимир Путин (Vladimir Putin) to single combat," the billionaire wrote on his Twitter account. "Stakes are Україна (Ukraine)," he added.
Musk has almost 78 million Twitter followers, and his tweet has already been liked more than 161,000 times.
To dispel any doubt in people's minds, Musk posted another tweet. tagging the Kremlin, in which he insists in Russian:
"Do you agree to this fight?@KremlinRussia_E."
The tweet has shaken social media, where various people wonder whether Musk is serious.
"Elon, this is not the circus. Real people are suffering," commented one user.
The comment of another user summed up the general astonishment.
"Did you think this through? Or Am I missing something?" the user asked Musk.
What Musk answered without hesitation:
"I am absolutely serious."
Musk Plays by His Own Rules
He did not give the details of the form this fight would take. In the 15th century, the duel was a regulated fight attached to the question of honor. Nobles could fight with swords or spears, while ordinary people fought with sticks.
"The fight would be over in 10 seconds. It would just depend on how much damage Elon would want to do how fast. Nothing else," a fan posted. "Elon is also 19 years younger," added the Musk fan, with a graph comparing the physical build of the businessman and Putin.
"Yeah, I did manage to throw the world champion sumo wrestler, but at the cost of smashing a disc in my neck that caused me insane back pain for 7 years!" Musk later claimed, as another participant republished an article touting his martial arts skills
The duel proposal did not escape the Ukrainian authorities. The vice prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, proposed to Musk to send Putin to Jupiter.
"We can send him to Jupiter, just in case," Fedorov posted.
The Kremlin has yet to respond as of this writing.
These latest statements by Musk add to the billionaire's long list of controversial claims. But they also demonstrate that Musk decidedly plays by rules that he himself determines. If another CEO had made such comments, the statement likely would have caused an outcry followed by calls for the executive's resignation.
