Elon Musk has responded to Billie Eilish after the singer criticised the billionaire over his growing fortune and questioned why more of his wealth could not be used to address global crises. The Tesla CEO took a dig at the Grammy-winning singer on X after she shared posts suggesting how his money could help people in need.The exchange began after Tesla shareholders approved a compensation package for Musk potentially worth $1 trillion on November 6, 2025. The package is linked to ambitious performance targets and does not mean Musk will receive the entire amount immediately. The approval sparked fresh debate about the scale of his wealth and how it could be used to support humanitarian causes.
Billie Eilish criticises Elon Musk over his wealth
On November 13, 2025, Eilish shared Instagram Stories featuring a series of slides from the activist group My Voice, My Choice. The posts outlined ways Musk’s vast fortune could potentially help address some of the world’s most pressing problems, including hunger, access to clean drinking water and more.The slides included estimates of how the money could be used, suggesting that $40 billion annually could help end world hunger and that $140 billion could provide safe drinking water globally for seven years. Another estimate put the cost of rebuilding Gaza and Ukraine at $793.2 billion. These figures were presented in the activist group’s posts and should be understood as its estimates, rather than independently established costs.Reacting to the posts, Eilish added a strongly worded remark directed at Musk, calling him a “fing pathetic py b***h coward”. Her comment criticised what she appeared to view as a failure to use extraordinary personal wealth to help address major humanitarian crises.
Elon Musk responds to Billie Eilish on X
Musk responded to the controversy on November 17, with his reply appearing in reports dated November 18. Responding to a post by a Billie Eilish fan account that shared screenshots of the singer’s Instagram Stories, he wrote, “She’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.” The remark appeared to question Eilish’s intelligence rather than directly address the humanitarian proposals she had shared.The exchange has drawn attention to the disagreement between the singer and the billionaire over wealth, philanthropy and social responsibility. However, neither public exchange establishes that the two have an ongoing personal feud beyond their remarks on social media.
Billie Eilish had earlier urged billionaires to donate
The singer’s criticism of Musk followed her comments at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards in New York on October 29, 2025. While accepting the Music Innovator Award, Eilish urged wealthy individuals to use their money to help those in need and questioned why people should accumulate such enormous fortunes.“If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire?” she asked, encouraging those with substantial wealth to donate to good causes. Her remarks came in front of an audience that included prominent business figures and other wealthy personalities.Eilish also backed her message with a charitable commitment. During the event, it was announced that she would donate $11.5 million from proceeds of her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to initiatives supporting food equity, climate justice and efforts to reduce carbon pollution.
