Why do big-time CEOs zip their lips when it comes to Elon Musk? The guy who's just as famous for his unapologetic tweets as he is for his electric cars and rockets.
The tech-billionaire, known for his ventures like Tesla and SpaceX, as well as his recent acquisition of Twitter (now 'X'), has thrown shade at US President Joe Biden or mocking Bill Gates' weight.
Even when he challenged Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight, Zuckerberg cautiously stayed away from badmouthing Musk. According to one interview, Zuckerberg described Musk as 'pretty polarising' and a 'change agent' on the back of his ambitious X acquisition.
But when it's time for others to dish it back, there's a noticeable hush.
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The silence on Musk's criticisms is likely due to the 'intimidation factor'. Nobody wants to be badmouthed by Musk's force of online power.
Musk's pinned tweet from 2022 reads: 'I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.'
The creator of X is unrestrained when it comes to sharing his opinions on the platform, usually targeting those who have crossed him or whoever he sees fit.
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Eric Dezenhall, the founder of crisis-management firm Dezenhall Resources, likened Musk's social media power to Donald Trump's in that he said: 'He has a platform. Musk has a similar power to call somebody out. Nobody wants to be in that position to be called out.'
For this reason, in particular, the likes of CEOs like Jeff Bezos have held back from comments that could put them in Musk's crosshairs, as well as his 168 million followers.
Instead, Bezos justified that he 'doesn't know Elon very well. I know his public persona, but I also know you can't know anyone by their public persona.'
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Yet, the Amazon CEO believes Musk to be a 'very capable leader' which has made his Tesla and SpaceX projects a major success.
When probed about Musk, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, who's had a rocky relationship with the entrepreneur, offered a balanced view stating: 'He's obviously a brilliant human being and making unbelievable contributions to mankind. But he, you know, comes with pluses and minuses.'
Another crisis communications expert, who preferred anonymity, agreed that the consequences of speaking ill of Musk are 'rarely worth it.'
Ultimately, they said: 'If you're going to criticise them' or any powerful individual for that matter, 'it has to be worth the risk' - especially if that man is the wealthiest person to walk out of 2023.