Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has written an opinion piece in The Guardian advocating for boycotts of Elon Musk’s companies and urging regulators worldwide to consider arresting the billionaire CEO.
In the piece, titled "Elon Musk is out of control. Here’s how to rein him in," Reich accuses Musk, the owner of X, of spreading misinformation on the platform. He outlined six strategies to “rein in” Musk, including a consumer boycott of Tesla and an advertiser boycott of X. He urged the US government to boycott Space X, though the company is currently the best and only hope of retrieving astronauts stuck at the International Space Station.
Reich further argued that “regulators around the world should threaten Musk with arrest if he doesn’t stop disseminating lies and hate on X.” He cited the recent arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France, drawing a parallel between Durov and Musk as "free speech absolutists."
In response to the piece, Musk said "Reich is such a sweety."
Reich also suggests that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should demand Musk "take down lies" on the platform, and if he refuses, sue him under Section Five of the FTC Act. Additionally, he recommended that the US government terminate its contracts with Musk's company SpaceX.
In his final recommendation, Reich calls for ensuring Musk's preferred candidate for president, Donald Trump, is not elected. This comes after Musk publicly endorsed Trump and has pledged to make sizeable donations to his campaign.
Reich's push for increased pressure on Musk coincides with several recent online conflicts involving the billionaire. Since taking over X, Musk has pledged a commitment to free speech, so long as it aligns with the laws of each user's country. However, he has faced backlash for allowing controversial figures to remain on the platform and promoting more right-wing beliefs after the platform historically suppressed such voices prior to his ownership.
Musk recently clashed with European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who sent Musk a letter because of his online interview with Trump on X, warning him to comply with EU laws and not amplify content that "promotes hatred, disorder, incitement to violence, or certain instances of disinformation." Musk dismissed Breton's warning.
In recent days, Musk has also been at odds with the Brazilian government, which banned X from the country this week and imposed fines on those who access the site using a VPN. In response to such actions, Musk has continually warned on his X account that “freedom of speech is under massive attack around the world.”
