Elon Musk is no stranger to controversy but his latest comment has landed him in fresh trouble, this time for what many are calling outright misogyny. On May 15, the billionaire owner of X replied to a viral thread discussing social media habits and the tell-tale "phases" people supposedly go through online from posting thirst traps to sharing meal photos on Instagram Stories. Musk cut through it with a blunt verdict: "Lmao. Instagram is for girls."
He didn't stop there. In a follow-up post, Musk added that when adult men send him links to their Instagram profiles, it makes him wonder whether they are "transitioning or what." The two posts together set off a firestorm.
Netizens React: More Than Just a Jab at Meta and Instagram
The remarks quickly divided opinion online, with many users criticising them as "sexist", "misogynistic" and "inaccurate," given Instagram's popularity across all demographics. "How are you the richest man in the world when you say stuff like this?" wrote one user. Another pointed out that "Instagram has a near-even split between men and women."
Some critics drilled into what they saw as a double standard, accusing Musk of framing platforms as either frivolous or vital depending solely on whether he controls them. "Yeah, unless of course you owned it, then it would be for 'super duper Alpha manly men'... right Elon?" one user wrote.
Critics linked Musk’s remarks to his ongoing rivalry with Meta since acquiring Twitter and rebranding it as X. Musk has repeatedly positioned X as a platform for “open” debate while accusing Meta apps like Instagram and WhatsApp of manipulation and excessive moderation. While some users saw the comments as an attempt to undermine a competing platform, others defended them as typical internet humour.
No Clarification from Musk
Despite growing criticism, Musk did not promptly clarify or apologize. The discussion unfolded entirely on X, where users construed his comments in countless ways, ranging from satire to overt misogyny. Instagram, meanwhile, continues to boast more than 2 billion users, a figure untouched by Musk’s nine-word assessment.