A new drama is unfolding on social media presently where a Somali-American TikToker in her livestream video talks about Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and says, "I wouldn't worry too much about him. He about to die." As soon as the video gained traction, it shocked Elon's fans as well as critics and even reached the tech billionaire himself.
Elon Musk responds
Responding to the video shared by an X user, Musk said, "Then it is war." He even pinned the post on X, which at the time of writing this report has garnered over 44 million views. The incident sparked calls for legal action and deportation from figures like Utah Republican Senator, Mike Lee.
Also Read | WATCH | New York mayor Zohran Mamdani grooves to Punjabi song at oath ceremony
What led to criticism by the TikToker?
As a former leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Donald Trump's administration, Elon has played an active role in revealing alleged frauds committed by governmental agencies.
Specifically, in Minnesota, Musk has spoken out publicly regarding alleged large scale frauds committed against taxpayers' money received from the federal government under programmes that provide both nutritional support for children and housing subsidies. Musk's public declaration of "being at war" indicates that he is committed to actively pursuing, positively, all persons that he believes are benefitting from fraudulent activities.
The backlash and clarification
The comments made by TikToker Fardowsa Muhumed received a lot of criticism. The incident even led to legal trouble for her. Amid all the backlash and threats, she issued a clarification saying her comments were "badly misinterpreted". In her statement, she clarified that the remark was taken out of context and insisted that she never meant to threaten anyone. She added that she is "truly in fear of her future".
Also Read | Tinder over LinkedIn? Young Americans find jobs on dating apps
"Elon is a very powerful man and has an endless amount of supporters. This will forever be a losing match for me," she said and added that her words were villianised and voice stolen.
"If you told me a week ago that my name and Elon Musk's name are being voiced in the same breath, I wouldn't believe you. But here I am today," she says in the video in connection with the controversy.
Muhumed said that Musk's reaction caused her to panic.
