Featured Image Credit: Anna Rose Layden / Stringer / Getty
It's no secret that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have something of a colorful past, with the world's richest and second-richest men jostling for more than just the honor of having the biggest bank balance.
The beef between Bezos and Musk reportedly goes back to when the former toured the SpaceX facility in 2004. Christian Davenport's The Space Barons mentions how Musk apparently said: "I actually did my best to give good advice, which he [Bezos] largely ignored." Bezos then reportedly used Blue Origin to get in the way of SpaceX's exclusive use of a NASA launchpad in 2013, which Musk branded a 'phony blocking tactic'. Taking things to a whole new level of petty, there are claims that SpaceX had an email filter that sifts out the words 'blue' and 'origin'.
More recently, Bezos clapped back at claims that he was 'wrong' about Trump winning the 2024 American election and has said he sees 'no threat' from Musk in the great space race.
At least they seem to be on better terms, with Musk congratulating Bezos over the successful launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.
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Things were going so well, but with the Bezos-owned The Washington Post pulling an ad calling to 'fire' Musk, we imagine some heated conversations are going on behind the scenes.
According to The Hill, The Washington Post pulled out of a $115,000 ad campaign that included a front and back page advert asking for Musk to be removed from his position as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Advocacy group Common Cause tells The Hill it had signed a deal to run the "Fire Elon Musk" ad, which also included an ad inside the paper. Common Cause says it purchased the ad space in conjunction with the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, with the ad featuring a laughing picture of Musk alongside large white text that reads: "Who’s running this country: Donald Trump or Elon Musk?"
There's more text that says: "Since day one, Elon has created chaos and confusion and put our livelihoods at risk. And he is accountable to no one but himself.
"The Constitution only allows for one president at a time. Call your senators and tell them it’s time Donald Trump fire Elon Musk."
It's accompanied by the URL FireMusk.org.
Musk has slammed accusations that he's involved in a 'hostile takeover' of the US government, although there are questions over his handling of organizations like USAID. Elsewhere, a judge has ordered the DOGE to destroy obtained financial data on millions of Americans while 14 states have united on a lawsuit to try and remove him from the government.
Who’s running this country: Donald Trump or Elon Musk?
— Common Cause (@CommonCause) February 3, 2025
It's time Donald Trump take back his role as the executive in charge and show Elon the door! Sign the petition if you agree >> https://t.co/lvRfN5TLlw pic.twitter.com/jeAcXyGzOl
Common Cause President Virginia Kase Solomón says an advertising sales representative from The Washington Post assured her running the ad wouldn't be a problem: "We submitted the artwork back on Tuesday of last week.
“I’m assuming it went through a legal department or other kind of review. They said, ‘You can have something inside the paper but you can’t do the wrap.’'"
Solomón adds that she said, 'Thanks, no thanks,' and that The Post didn't give a clear reason. As for her own thoughts, Solomón concluded: "Is it because we’re critical of what’s happening with Elon Musk? Is it only OK to run things in the Post now that won’t anger the president or won’t have him calling Jeff Bezos asking why this was allowed?"
Musk has since taken a swipe at the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund and posted: “The SPLC is yet another scam. No more mooching off the taxpayer for them.”
