(1/9) Elon Musk has been obsessed with the letter "X" for decades. Like most things Elon, the history behind it is darker than you might think. This is a thread you want to read. @maddow.msnbc.com @muellershewrote.bsky.social @dailybeanspod.bsky.social - ThreadSky

fowlwords.bsky.social • 24 days ago

(1/9) Elon Musk has been obsessed with the letter "X" for decades. Like most things Elon, the history behind it is darker than you might think.

This is a thread you want to read.

@maddow.msnbc.com @muellershewrote.bsky.social @dailybeanspod.bsky.social

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fowlwords.bsky.social•24 days ago

(2/9) He grew up in Apartheid-era South Africa in a wealthy household. His father co-owned an unregistered emerald mine, selling gems illegally on the black market. This wealth funded a privileged life with yachts, ski trips, and private planes.

fowlwords.bsky.social•24 days ago

(3/9) By early 1988, protests and strikes against Apartheid intensified. A trade union, COSATU, led a campaign against the vote. Posters appeared across the country with a striking message: “X is for Apartheid, X is for Poverty, X is for High Rent, X is for Oppression.”

fowlwords.bsky.social•24 days ago

(4/9) As tensions rose, Elon turned 17 and left South Africa for Canada to avoid conscripted military service. He later fraudulently immigrated to the U.S. on a student visa, only to drop out of school.

fowlwords.bsky.social•24 days ago

(5/9) In 1999, he founded X(dot)com, which merged with PayPal before he was pushed out. Since then, he has repeatedly used “X” in his ventures: SpaceX, Tesla Model X, X Corp, xAI, and Twitter (which he rebranded as X(dot)com.) He even named his child X Æ A-12, calling him "X" for short.

fowlwords.bsky.social•24 days ago

(6/9) Despite various explanations for his obsession, Elon himself has never clarified why he fixates on the letter. But recent events bring the 1988 poster to mind.

fowlwords.bsky.social•24 days ago

(7/9) First, he made two Nazi salutes. Then, he spoke at Germany’s far-right AfD party, stating, “It’s good to be proud of German culture and values… and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism.” He continued, “There is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that.”

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