Stephen King has proved himself to be one of Elon Musk's harshest critics, but their ongoing battle may be taking a turn towards a truce in the near future after Musk tweeted that King is invited to Twitter's headquarters.
After taking over the social media site in October, billionaire and Tesla CEO Musk has received much criticism from many who believe that Twitter is on the decline under his leadership, including horror novelist King.
In King's most recent tweet about Musk, he wrote, "I think Elon Musk is a visionary. Almost singlehandedly, he's changed the way Americans think about automobiles. I have a Tesla and love it. That said, he's been a terrible fit for Twitter. He appears to be making it up as he goes along."
In response, Musk wrote, "Suggestions are welcome Mr. [King]," using a crown emoji in place of King's last name.
Another user suggested in the thread that Musk invite King to Twitter headquarters in San Francisco to "have a face-to-face conversation," a tweet to which Musk simply replied, "He is invited!"
Musk has repeatedly commented on King's tweets regarding himself and Twitter as a whole. A few days after Musk initially took over Twitter, the author wrote, "I think I liked Twitter better in the pre-Musk days. Less controversy, more fun."
He is invited!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2022
Musk responded playfully with a ghost emoji then followed up with: "I'm still a fan of you tbh." King reportedly did not respond, and Musk later deleted the comment.
Following King's recent tweet on Saturday, another user replied, "First suggestion DO NOT LISTEN TO STEPHEN KING!!"
However, Musk responded amicably, tweeting, "Stephen King is one of most creative people on Earth. While I may not agree with everything he says, I do actually want to hear it."
Stephen King is one of most creative people on Earth. While I may not agree with everything he says, I do actually want to hear it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2022
Musk has been taking a decent amount of criticism lately after changing Twitter's system of blue checkmark verification, reinstating previously suspended accounts such as Kanye West's and Donald Trump's, and losing a large amount of Twitter employees in a mass resignation. Despite fears that the app would be shut down, Twitter is still up and running.
On Saturday, King followed up his own tweet about Musk, writing separately, "Be aware that I never said Musk CREATED Tesla. He didn't. He just made it a success, against long odds. If you really want to understand how amazing that was, look at the DeLorean."
"But...Twitter ain't cars. And Twitter ain't rockets," he added.
Newsweek reached out to representatives of Musk and King for additional comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Emma Mayer is a Newsweek Culture Writer based in Wyoming. Her focus is reporting on celebrities, books, movies, and music. ... Read more
